Patriot production in Europe under question: US has not yet given permission
Фото: Reuters
The United States has not yet authorized the production of Patriot air defense systems in Europe, but has stated its readiness to consider such a move. The issue was discussed during a meeting of G7 leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This is reported by Suspilne, citing an official from one of the G7 countries.
During the negotiations, the parties discussed the production of interceptors for ballistic missiles and expanding capabilities to protect Ukraine from air attacks.
According to a G7 representative, the US is currently increasing its own production capacity, but it is difficult to quickly scale up the production of such systems.
“The US is building up industrial capacity, but it is taking too long to deliver in the short term,” the official said.
He explained that Patriot systems are complex types of weapons, the production of which requires significant resources and time.
“These are very complex weapons systems that take time to scale,” the G7 country representative noted.
At the same time, Washington is ready to continue considering the issue of possible licensing of production in Europe.
“The US has committed to looking into this issue, but has not made any decisions regarding licensing in Europe,” the official added.
As a reminder, at the end of May, Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent a letter to US President Donald Trump, in which he warned of the aggravation of problems with Ukraine’s air and missile defense against the backdrop of massive Russian attacks.
Zelensky later commented on the massive combined attack that the Russian Federation launched on Ukraine on the night of June 2. He noted that the help of allies and Patriot missiles is needed to protect Ukrainian cities from ballistic missiles.
As reported, Lockheed Martin stated that the supply of missiles for Patriot air defense systems remains a big question mark and there is currently no exact date for their transfer to US allies.
It should be noted that Ukraine may obtain a license to produce missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
By the way, the leaders of the G7 countries confirmed their intention to strengthen military and economic support for Ukraine. Among the priorities: increasing supplies of air defense systems, long-range weapons, and assistance in the development of Ukrainian defense production .
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