On July 31, 2026, President Donald Trump told a Cabinet meeting at Camp David that the U.S. had not yet agreed to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missile systems, a shift from earlier remarks that promised the license.

The comment came after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, where Zelenskyy said the leaders had a “good meeting” about the Patriot licenses. Trump’s reversal follows concerns that U.S. stockpiles of Patriot interceptors are being used to counter Iranian missiles and that the technology is “hard to give away.”

The U.S. and Ukraine remain “talking about it,” with defense contractors Lockheed Martin and RTX—both manufacturers of the missile—still awaiting final authorization. Even if Kyiv receives the license, production would take years and the expensive, highly complex systems would not be available to Ukraine in the near term.

Zelenskyy stressed that the Patriot system is crucial for intercepting Russian ballistic missiles and called the issue a “top priority.” He thanked the U.S. for its support and noted that his teams were working to co‑produce the weapon as quickly as possible.