Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States has not agreed to establish sufficient missile production in Europe, including for Patriot air defense systems, despite Kyiv raising the issue several years ago.
In an evening video address, Zelenskyy said there had been promises regarding production licenses but no final agreement. He noted that Ukraine had proposed producing missiles on its own territory as well as through joint initiatives with regional partners in NATO, including Romania and Poland.
Zelenskyy said expanding missile production would strengthen Europe’s collective defense capabilities, stressing the need for the continent to develop its own air defense systems. While acknowledging that some progress has been made in expanding production, he described the pace as insufficient and expressed confidence that Europe would eventually achieve the necessary defense capacity, though he emphasized that earlier results would be preferable.
