Ukraine Secures Patriot Missile Licenses, Interceptors from US in Political Agreement
Ukraine and US Reach Political Agreement on Patriot Missile Production
KYIV, July 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine and the United States have reached a political agreement on licences for production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday, adding that key supplies of the missiles were to arrive in the next few days.
The Patriot System and Its Strategic Importance
The Patriot is a U.S.-made air defense system. Its PAC-3 interceptor - short for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 - is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has increasingly fired at Ukrainian cities.
Details of the Political Agreement
Zelenskiy, speaking to reporters after returning from a NATO summit and talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Turkey, also said talks were proceeding with the United States on a "drone deal" or joint drone production.
Expected Delivery and Implementation
"I believe this was a productive summit for Ukraine. In the coming days, we’ll receive a package from the United States, and there were also some separate agreements," Zelenskiy said, referring to securing the PAC-3 interceptors.
"We resolved this issue politically," he said of producing Patriot missiles for Ukraine. "It's now very important that our technical teams, all our representatives from different ministries, representatives of the executive branch, start working on this without delay, so that we can get licences very quickly and start production in Ukraine as soon as possible."
Ukraine's Ongoing Need for Advanced Air Defense
Zelenskiy has long pleaded for faster supplies of interceptors capable of bringing down Russian ballistic missiles, a need accentuated by recent assaults on the Ukrainian capital and other cities.
Additional Defense Cooperation: Drones and European Partnerships
Progress on US-Ukraine Drone Collaboration
Zelenskiy said no drone deal had yet been signed with Washington, "but there are some documents that have already been signed so that the American side can get from Ukraine various types, different, different kinds that the United States is interested in for testing. And they’re getting them from us."
He said these included "both aerial drones and marine drones, as well as other technological things".
European Anti-Missile System Initiatives
He also said discussions would proceed with Ukraine's European allies on developing a separate anti-missile system with a meeting planned for France in the near future.
Diplomatic Relations and Future Outlook
Improved Relations with the United States
The Ukrainian president has improved his relations with Trump through a series of meetings after an encounter last year in the Oval Office descended into a shouting match.
Zelenskiy told reporters Trump was now "positive about Ukraine".
Continued Diplomatic Engagement
"We definitely discussed a great many different things, we need to follow up, prepare for diplomacy, and there are a few other things, but all of this is the right direction," he said. "During the meeting he was very constructive."
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa, Editing by William Maclean, Ron Popeski and Sanjeev Miglani)
