The U.S. has not abandoned the idea of producing Patriot missiles for Ukraine — Reuters 0 81

Washington continues consultations with Kyiv regarding the possible production of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. This was reported by Reuters, citing four sources familiar with the negotiations.

According to the agency's sources, the parties are considering several models of cooperation. One option involves the production of individual missile components in Ukraine, followed by final assembly in one of the European countries. Another option is to connect Ukraine to existing American and European missile production programs for the Patriot systems.

The sources emphasize that the negotiations have not ceased.

"There has been no order to stop the negotiations," one of the Reuters sources said, noting that consultations with American defense companies, military officials, and other interested parties are ongoing.

According to an American official, the most realistic scenario now is the production of individual components in Ukraine and final assembly of the missiles in Germany.

Germany is already producing Patriot missiles of previous modifications, and it is expected that modern PAC-3 missiles will also be manufactured there in the future.

The issue has gained particular relevance after U.S. President Donald Trump stated last week that he is unsure whether Washington will grant Ukraine a license to produce these missiles.

However, earlier, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO summit in Ankara in early July, Trump spoke of the intention to grant Ukraine such a right.

Patriot systems remain one of the key elements of Ukraine's air defense. Amid increasing Russian strikes with ballistic missiles, Ukraine has repeatedly stated a critical shortage of both the systems themselves and the interceptor missiles for them.

Negotiations are ongoing, but no final decision on the possible organization of production has yet been made.