Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski once again asked his American counterpart, Donald Trump, on Tuesday for a license for Ukraine to domestically produce American Patriot anti-aircraft systems and interceptor missiles for them, reports the Spanish news agency EFE.
“I discussed this with President Trump, and our teams will work so that, God willing this time, we can obtain the license to produce anti-ballistic systems and missiles,” Zelenski said in an audio message sent via WhatsApp to a group of journalists covering the Ukrainian leader’s participation in the G7 summit taking place in France.
Zelenski had previously asked his American counterpart for a license for Ukraine to produce Patriot batteries, but did not receive the desired response, notes Agerpres.
For now, a priority for Ukraine, in order to protect itself against Russian missile and drone attacks, is to acquire additional Patriot systems and more PAC-3 interceptor missiles for these systems from its international supporters, as well as the necessary funds for their purchase from the USA.
Two weeks ago, the leader from Kiev declared that some of the countries ahead of Ukraine on the waiting list to purchase Patriot systems have given up their place for his country, but Kiev needs money to acquire them.
“It is possible to skip the queue if the contract is paid. Therefore, we must do everything possible to pay it. Otherwise, the systems and missiles will only arrive in 2030,” explained Zelenski.