Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Thursday with a U.S. company that makes Patriot air defense systems, after President Donald Trump gave him the green light to cooperate with the United States on their production.

Zelensky said they discussed how Ukraine could co-produce Patriot interceptors, a powerful U.S. military tool Kyiv views as vital to fend off Russian ballistic missile attacks, with aerospace and defense company Raytheon. The Ukrainian president said he had discussed the idea with Trump at the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month. Teams from the government and private sector “will stay in close touch” to work out the deal, Zelensky added, noting that other areas of partnership regarding non-offensive military equipment were also discussed.

“Raytheon is a very strong defense company, and Ukraine has long been using its equipment to protect our people from vicious Russian attacks,” Zelensky said.

“I am grateful for the company’s readiness to take our partnership to an even higher level, where Ukraine would co-produce, together with Raytheon, some of the most vital air defense assets — Patriot interceptors … it’s time we moved forward on this,” he continued. “Thank you to the United States for its support for Ukraine.”

The development comes after Trump said in Turkey that he would grant Ukraine a license to produce its own PAC-3 Patriot missiles, after the U.S. for years provided the Eastern European country with the weapons for use in its fight against Russia.

More here

Tagged: Ukraine BACK TO HOMEPAGE