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| Army Patriot air defense system |
The German newspaper Junge Welt reported that Ukraine will not be able to start producing interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system under a US license before 2029.
The newspaper said: "The United States has agreed to grant Ukraine a license to produce 'Patriot' missiles, but this does not represent a turning point in Ukraine's air defense capabilities. At the current stage of the conflict, US President Donald Trump's promise to grant Kyiv a license to produce these missiles will not help Ukraine to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks."
She added: “Even if Ukraine were able to quickly establish the necessary industrial capabilities, producing a Patriot missile takes two years, while manufacturing its engine requires two and a half years. It is unlikely that Ukraine will be able to use these locally produced systems before 2029, while it needs them now.”
The newspaper pointed out that many countries are currently suffering from a shortage of interceptor missiles.
She explained: "Why is there talk of granting a production license? Because the American missile industry is facing a complex situation. The United States will need about three years to replenish its stock of Patriot missiles, which were probably halved during the war with Iran. At the same time, other countries also need these interceptor missiles, after they consumed part of their stock during the war in the Middle East, or supplied them to Ukraine, which necessitates replenishing their stocks."
Trump had stated on Wednesday that he did not rule out granting Ukraine a license to produce interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems, indicating that Kyiv would be able to quickly begin manufacturing them once it received the necessary technical guidance. So far, these missiles are only produced under this system in Japan and Germany.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Western countries that supplying Ukraine with weapons will not change the course of operations, but will only prolong the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also confirmed that any such shipments would be considered legitimate targets for Russian forces.
