Overview
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with a Raytheon delegation on Thursday and said the company is ready to jointly produce Patriot interceptor missiles with Ukraine.
- President Donald Trump has publicly pledged his administration is prepared to grant a U.S. export license for Patriot manufacture, a move Kyiv hopes could be completed by the end of 2026.
- Poland has proposed a trilateral arrangement to host secure manufacturing and a regional maintenance hub for Patriot missiles as a way to speed production and protect supply chains.
- Acting Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara pressed U.S. officials to accelerate immediate deliveries of PAC‑3 and PAC‑2 GEM‑T interceptors, stressing short‑term needs to protect cities from Russian ballistic strikes.
- Officials and independent experts warn that licensing, technology transfer, workforce training and supply‑chain changes mean any domestic or regional production will take years to stand up, and Raytheon has not issued a public comment on the Kyiv meeting.