Trump denies agreeing to let Ukraine produce Patriot missiles, contradicting Zelenskyy

During a cabinet meeting at Camp David, President Trump backtracked on his earlier commitment to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense interceptors. Asked about the arrangement Zelenskyy described as agreed upon after their White House meeting, Trump said 'we have not agreed to that' and called the technology 'a hard thing to give away.' He warned recipients could 'some day turn on you' and said the U.S. would instead build domestic plants. The reversal unsettled Kyiv, which has lobbied for production capability amid a global interceptor shortage exacerbated by the Iran conflict. Zelenskyy's office later reiterated the agreement, accusing Trump of reneging.

“We have not agreed to that. We're talking about it, but it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.” Quote verified against source