US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington has not agreed to Ukraine producing Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles, walking back earlier signals that Kyiv would be granted a production licence.
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"We have not agreed to that," Trump said, adding that the US has "to be very careful about letting somebody build them."
Trump's remarks mark a shift from his earlier comments at the Nato summit in Turkey, where he had signalled Washington would grant Kyiv a licence to produce the missiles. Following a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, Zelenskyy had said Trump "accepted that he will give us licences."
Trump told the Financial Times on Thursday that he was "not sure" whether Washington would grant the licence, adding that "we're looking at it." His latest comments appear to further distance the US from committing to the production deal.
The Patriot system is vital for Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian ballistic missiles targeting Kyiv and other cities. Lockheed Martin and RTX jointly produce the interceptors. Persuading Trump to allow Kyiv to produce the missiles has been a significant diplomatic objective for Zelenskyy.
Trump also confirmed that his two envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, will visit Ukraine for the first time in the coming days. The president said his focus remains on ending the war. "Very simply put, we want the war in Ukraine with Russia ended. I'm not looking for missiles. We're looking for peace."
In the same interview with the FT, Trump addressed the Middle East, insisting that Iran would eventually submit despite its recent strikes across the region. "We are beating the hell out of them," he said.
The US president also expressed optimism about finalising the landmark civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia unveiled last week. Trump said he has spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about normalising ties, adding "it could happen."
Trump also complimented UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham for signalling a pragmatic approach on North Sea oil exploration. "The one thing that seems to be loud and clear is that he wants to make his country rich, and he knows that he can do that by opening up the North Sea oil," Trump said of their first call last week.
