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Ukraine Eyes Patriot Production Within 12 Months After US Licensing Breakthrough, Zelenskyy Says
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukraine could begin establishing domestic production of Patriot air defense systems and components within 12 months, although completing the process may take several years because of licensing requirements, technology transfers, and international supply chains, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
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Speaking in an interview with Ukraine’s United News telethon, Zelenskyy said Washington had already made the political decision to provide Ukraine with the necessary US licenses.
“The decision has been made. It was made by the President of the United States and other important American government institutions. Ukraine must receive the relevant licenses,” Zelenskyy said.
According to the Ukrainian president, administrative procedures surrounding licensed weapons production remain one of the main factors determining how quickly manufacturing can be established.
“Bureaucracy, as I have already said, consumes lives because it consumes time,” Zelenskyy said. He estimated that establishing production of air defense systems could take anywhere from one year to several years.
“Bureaucracy—the implementation of systems, the production of air defense systems—takes from 12 months to several years. That is basically how it works,” he said. The timeline for producing Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine will also depend on how much of the manufacturing process can be localized inside the country, according to Zelenskyy.
The United States does not normally transfer the entire production cycle for Patriot missiles to a single country, he said. Instead, different components can be manufactured across several states before being incorporated into the final weapon.
Ukraine is therefore seeking to secure the largest possible share of the production process domestically, reducing its dependence on components moving through multiple European countries.
“If we are talking about three, four, five European countries, then it is very complicated. Why? Bureaucracy again, dialogue is needed again,” Zelenskyy said. He pointed to Germany as an example, saying it took more than two years to establish Patriot missile production there under a US license.
The German project involves PAC-2 missiles. Ukraine, meanwhile, is seeking the ability to manufacture PAC-3 interceptors, which are designed to counter ballistic missiles as well as other aerial threats.
“As for production in Ukraine, as I already said, the timeline will mainly depend on the partnership. What will they offer us?” Zelenskyy said. Kyiv is seeking greater domestic production partly to reduce the risk that future political changes in partner countries could affect access to critical air defense weapons.
“We very much want it to be independent of politics. That is what we are doing,” Zelenskyy said.
The production effort comes as Ukraine continues to seek larger stocks of Patriot interceptors for its existing systems. On August 8, Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States had reached an agreement on monthly deliveries of Patriot missiles, while warning that the planned quantities would still not fully meet Ukraine’s air defense requirements.
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