Zelenskyy says Trump agreed to Patriot missile production licenses for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump agreed to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missile systems.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy said the two leaders built on discussions they began during a NATO summit earlier this month in Türkiye's capital Ankara.

"We began it in Ankara to give Ukraine licenses for the production of Patriots," Zelenskyy said. "This is important, because we need more and quicker."

He said Trump had agreed to the request during their meeting at the White House.

"Today, we had a very good meeting with President Trump. He accepted that he will give us licenses," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader added that he subsequently met with executives from major US defense companies to discuss potential joint production.

"I hope that we will do co-production. This is very important," he told Fox News.

Earlier Tuesday, speaking to reporters at the US Capitol, Zelenskyy said he had discussed Ukraine's urgent air defense requirements with Trump and US senators.

"The real problem is anti-ballistic systems and anti-ballistic missiles," he said. "Of course, I shared what we need … I shared it with the president today."