US in Talks With Ukraine Over Patriot Missile Production Licenses

The United States is currently holding discussions with Ukraine regarding the issuance of production licenses for Patriot air defense missiles, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Speaking on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Wednesday, September 2, Rubio confirmed the ongoing talks, as reported by European Pravda.

Rubio pointed out that securing a manufacturing license will not solve Ukraine's immediate air defense needs.

He noted that even after obtaining approval, setting up the manufacturing lines for such sophisticated hardware and building the required facilities will take years.

"This question is currently being discussed. And, as I have said, this is not an immediate solution. After all, ramping up production, even with a license, is a process that requires several years to build the appropriate factories," Rubio said.

"Because we are talking about an extremely complex weapon. So this is currently under discussion. Perhaps it will yield results, but it will not actually solve the short-term problem they are pointing to," the Secretary of State added.

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Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Washington had made the political decision to grant Ukraine the necessary US licenses to produce Patriot air defense systems.

He noted that Ukraine could begin establishing domestic manufacturing within 12 months, though completing the process would take several years due to administrative procedures, technology transfers, and international supply chains.

Zelenskyy stressed that bureaucracy directly consumed lives by dragging out time, estimating that setting up the production lines for systems and interceptors would ultimately take anywhere from one year to multiple years.

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