US in talks with Ukraine over licences to produce Patriot missiles – Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States is in talks with Ukraine about granting licences to produce missiles for Patriot air defence systems.

Source: Rubio on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Wednesday 2 September, as reported by the US Department of State and European Pravda

Details: Rubio said that having a production licence would not address Ukraine's immediate needs because even after obtaining a licence, setting up production of such complex weapons and building the necessary factories could take years.

"That's being negotiated as we speak. And as I said, again – but that is not an immediate solution. I mean, ramping up production, even if you have a licence, is something that takes multiple years to build these factories. I mean, these are highly sophisticated weaponry. So that's being negotiated now. That may come to fruition, but it really won't solve the short-term challenge that they're pointing to," he added.

Background:

• On 31 July, US President Donald Trump, commenting on the possibility of allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptors, said that the US has to be "very careful" about the matter.
• Financial Times reported that Trump had also refused President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's request for hundreds of additional Patriot interceptors, citing US needs in the Middle East.

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