Trump may allow Ukraine to produce "less sophisticated" version of Patriot missiles
US President Donald Trump has said that talks are currently under way on granting Ukraine a licence to produce "less advanced" Patriot missiles.
Source: European Pravda, citing Trump's comments to journalists on 13 September
Quote: "We have a big stockpile of certain weapons, a lot of them are, you know, virtually unlimited… When it comes to the elite [weaponry], a lot of it was given to Ukraine, but we're making them very rapidly right now. We're building up our stockpiles very fast."
Details: However, Trump did not specify exactly which missiles are being discussed.
According to European Pravda, this could refer to the older version of the PAC-2 missile. These are the very missiles European states, such as Germany, are currently transferring to Ukraine from their own stockpiles.
Also, according to Trump, plants in the US are currently producing "more Patriot missiles than we've ever made".
Background:
- Talks on additional Patriot missile deliveries to Ukraine from the US have been ongoing for a long time, and Trump's position on the matter has shifted repeatedly.
- 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.
- EU member states have agreed to purchase €3.2 billion worth of US-made interceptor missiles for Ukraine's Patriot air defence systems under the EU's €90 billion loan.
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