Trump says US arms makers could license weapons production in Europe and Ukraine – Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump has said his administration will consider allowing American defence companies to license weapons production in Europe and Ukraine.
Source: Bloomberg, citing officials familiar with the discussions and statements made by leaders at the G7 summit in France
Details: According to the report, Trump plans to ask US defence manufacturers to grant licences to European and Ukrainian companies to produce weapons in order to address the shortage of interceptor missiles for air defence systems needed by Kyiv to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks.
"They would like to be able to do it, we'll take a look at it," Trump told reporters on 17 June.
With US stockpiles significantly depleted during the war with Iran and the expansion of domestic production expected to take considerable time, the US president is viewing licensing as a faster way to strengthen allies.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also told reporters that "the specific licences in question will be discussed in detail among the participating countries". He said this would involve granting full licences to companies that have the necessary technical capabilities.
"We all face the problem that we are currently producing too little – and this can be offset by granting licences to companies that have the necessary production capacity. These include both European and Ukrainian companies," Merz said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said that during the discussions, Trump had "insisted on the mobilisation of the American defence industry and the capacity to supply such equipment".
The US has traditionally been highly protective of its technologies and licensing arrangements because of concerns over intellectual property and supply chain security. However, some weapons, including Patriot missiles, are already produced in Germany.
Background: During the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains on 16 June, the leaders agreed to increase deliveries of air defence systems and interceptor missiles to Ukraine and said they were prepared to consider granting licences for their production directly in Ukraine.
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