Ukraine

Kyiv, Saturday, September 26, 2026. Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Friday, September 25, in a voice message shared with journalists, that Donald Trump had announced to him during their meeting in New York on Tuesday that he had made a "final decision": "Yes, I've made the final decision: Ukraine will receive the licenses to produce Patriot missiles." The Ukrainian president did not specify whether the agreement concerns the PAC-2 interceptors, produced in the United States and under license in Germany — some of which are expected to arrive in Ukraine starting in 2027 — or the more advanced PAC-3, manufactured exclusively in the United States and Japan.

This announcement contrasts with the caution displayed two days earlier by Washington: on September 23, the State Department had indicated to the German channel DW that discussions were ongoing and that no final decision had yet been made on the granting of these licenses. The Ukrainian press recalls the winding trajectory of the dossier since the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, where Trump had promised: "We're going to give them the right to manufacture Patriots. We're going to show them how to do it," judging that Kyiv could produce them "fairly quickly." On July 31, during a cabinet meeting, he had backtracked, explaining that the United States had not approved anything and that it was necessary to "be very cautious" before transferring sensitive technology that its recipients could one day turn against Washington.

Zelensky's optimism comes on the same day that Reuters reveals, with sources to back it up, that the new American military aid package of nearly $400 million — of which $307 million has already been committed — will not include any Patriot missiles, as global stocks of interceptors have been depleted by the war in Ukraine and the American war against Iran. The initial deliveries, which began this month, only concern offensive weapons and spare parts for armored vehicles.

Kyiv is also watching Brussels, where EU defense ministers are to discuss on September 28 the possibility that certain states will cede their place in the Patriot waiting list with Lockheed, with Spain or Greece being cited as candidates for a transfer of interceptors, to be financed later by the €90 billion loan.