Trump Promises Zelensky a License To Build Patriots as Two Share Grim Prospect of Dealing With Putin

President Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky shared a laugh Wednesday announcing they have no plans to travel to Moscow, projecting a simpatico moment at Ankara after a pivotal meeting that included a plea to grant Kyiv a license for American Patriot missile technology.Russia has been heaving drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities, with a barrage of assaults picking up in intensity in recent days. Ukraine’s military is able to counter drones but needs the defensive Patriots to shoot down missiles. The Ukrainian president has warned that his forces are running out of interceptors and has pleaded to buy more from European allies. But mostly, Mr. Zelensky has requested licensing to produce Patriots domestically.Setting up production in Ukraine, however, could take years, leaving the question of whether they would come too late to save Ukrainians from the deadly Russian attacks. Mr. Trump said he has not informed the U.S. companies that produce the missiles that he plans to license the technology to Ukraine.America faces its own shortage of Patriot missiles due to the Iran war. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates it will take three or more years for the Pentagon to return to prewar inventory levels.Nonetheless, the two leaders held a cordial meeting on the sidelines of the annual NATO summit and heaped praise on the Ukrainian leader, saying he has “done an amazing job” in the fight against Russia.Mr. Trump also signaled support for Ukraine’s strikes deep inside Russia. Ukraine’s military has been using low-cost drones that are being built domestically to carry out strikes that have caused significant damage to parts of Russia’s energy systems.In speaking with reporters Mr. Trump, alongside the Ukrainian president, called the drones “amazing” and suggested that he might want to purchase some for use by American forces.Mr. Trump later said he would like to see Mr. Zelensky and President Vladimir Putin have a face-to-face meeting in an effort to end more than four years of fighting. Mr. Trump said that Mr. Putin suggested they meet at Moscow. Mr. Trump said he told Mr. Putin that he didn’t think Mr. Zelensky would want to go to Russia.Mr. Trump then turned to Mr. Zelensky for his thoughts on whether he would hold a meeting at Moscow. “It’s difficult, there are a lot of Ukrainian drones there,” Mr. Zelensky said to laughter. “It’s dangerous.”Among other topics, European allies used the annual NATO summit to try to convince Mr. Trump to boost assistance to Ukraine. A bipartisan congressional delegation also attended the NATO meeting and held a separate session with Mr. Zelensky. The delegation released a statement after the meeting saying Russia is clearly not winning the war and Mr. Putin is at his weakest position in years.“It is critical that the United States follows through on the commitments President Trump agreed to as part of the G7 Leaders Summit communique last month, including providing additional security assistance to Ukraine — particularly air defense interceptors — and tightening sanctions on Russia’s war machine,” lawmakers said.“Congress is prepared to help President Trump apply the necessary pressure on Putin to get him to the negotiating table and end the killing once and for all,” the statement went on to say.Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Ukraine’s strongest defenders in Congress, issued his own statement after the meeting.“Ukraine has exceeded every expectation on the battlefield. Now is the time to apply maximum pressure on Putin to end the bloodbath,” ,” he said. “I applaud President Trump’s decision to grant Ukraine a license to produce their own Patriot missile interceptors. I believe this will be a giant step forward.”

Trump Promises Zelensky a License To Build Patriots as Two Share Grim Prospect of Dealing With Putin

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