Zelensky says Trump made "final decision" on Patriot missile production licenses for Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 25 that US President Donald Trump told him during their September 22 meeting in New York that he had made a final decision to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot air defense missiles. The statement came despite the US State Department saying two days earlier that no final decision had been made. Zelensky provided no details on which Patriot variant the licenses would cover, when they would be delivered, or what production volumes they would entail.
Key points
- Zelensky said on September 25 that Trump told him during their September 22 meeting in New York that he had made a final decision to transfer Patriot production licenses to Ukraine.
- The US State Department said on September 23 that no final decision on the licenses had been made.
- Ukraine is negotiating licenses for both PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors; Zelensky did not specify which variant the licenses would cover.
- The timeline for receiving the licenses and any production volumes are unknown, and Ukrainian producers would still need time to set up manufacturing.
- Zelensky said Ukraine received three times fewer anti-ballistic missiles this year than last year, with partners citing the Middle East conflict as the reason.
- On July 30 the US signed a multi-year $58.6 billion contract with Lockheed Martin, the main PAC-3 producer, which has supported transferring a license to Ukraine.
Why it matters
Domestic production of Patriot interceptors would, over time, reduce Ukraine's reliance on foreign air-defense munitions, which Zelensky says have dropped to one-third of the previous year's level. The gap between Zelensky's account of a "final" US decision and the State Department's denial that any final decision has been made leaves the status of the deal genuinely uncertain.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 25, during an audio communication with journalists, that US President Donald Trump had told him at their September 22 meeting in New York — held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly — that he had made a final decision to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot air defense missiles. Zelensky said the political approval was "final" but acknowledged that the timeline for receiving the licenses is unknown, that no production volumes were specified, and that Ukrainian producers would need time to set up manufacturing. He did not specify whether the licenses would cover PAC-2 interceptors, PAC-3 interceptors, or both. The announcement came despite a September 23 statement from the US State Department that no final decision had been made, and despite Zelensky's own September 22 statement that he had not yet received a concrete US response on Patriot missile supplies. Trump has not publicly confirmed the "final decision." Earlier, on July 8 at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump had first said the US could provide such a license; he later said the US "must be very careful" about allowing it, and on September 13 suggested any licensed missile would be a "significantly less technologically complex" version. Lockheed Martin, the main PAC-3 producer, has supported transferring the license, and on July 30 the US signed a multi-year $58.6 billion contract with the company for Patriot production.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets have framed the story around the Office of the President's account, citing Zelensky's claim of a final US political decision and stressing the urgency created by falling missile deliveries. Coverage quotes Zelensky's figure that Patriot missile deliveries have fallen to roughly one-third of the previous year's level, with partners citing the Middle East conflict, and highlights the need for both continued ready-made supplies and eventual domestic production.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on whether a final US decision has actually been made. Zelensky said on September 25 that Trump had reached a "final" decision during their September 22 meeting; the US State Department said on September 23 that no final decision had been made; and Zelensky himself said on September 22 that he had not yet received a concrete US response on Patriot supplies. Trump has not publicly confirmed the decision described by Zelensky.
Background
PAC-2 missiles are mainly produced by Raytheon, which also manufactures them jointly with Germany's MBDA Deutschland through the COMLOG enterprise. Newer PAC-3 interceptors in the CRI and MSE variants are primarily produced by Lockheed Martin, with additional production in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; PAC-3 uses kinetic hit-to-kill engagement and is designed in part to intercept ballistic targets. Demand for Patriot systems has risen sharply since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, contributing to depleted global interceptor stocks.