Ukraine and the United States have reached a political agreement on licenses to produce PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after returning from a NATO summit and talks with US President Donald Trump in Turkey, Reuters reports.
He said key deliveries of PAC-3 interceptors were expected in the coming days. The missiles are among the few Western weapons capable of intercepting ballistic missiles that Russia has increasingly used in its attacks on Ukrainian cities.
"I believe this was a productive summit for Ukraine. In the coming days we will receive a package from the United States, and there were some separate agreements," he said Zelensky.
Regarding the production of missiles, he said: "We have resolved this issue politically". Zelensky added that technical teams should immediately begin work to obtain licenses as soon as possible and start production in Ukraine.
The president also announced that talks with the United States on an agreement on joint production of drones are continuing. According to him, a final agreement has not yet been signed, but there are already documents that allow the American side to receive from Ukraine various technologies for testing.
"But there are already some documents that have been signed, so the American side can receive from Ukraine different types, different, different types that the United States is interested in for testing. And they receive them from us," Zelensky said. He specified that this includes air and sea drones, as well as other technological developments.
Zelensky also announced upcoming talks with European allies, including France, on the development of a new anti-ballistic missile system targets, similar to the Patriot, but cheaper and suitable for mass production.
The Ukrainian president said his relationship with Trump had improved and the American leader was now "positively disposed towards Ukraine".
"We definitely discussed a lot of different things. We need to continue, prepare for diplomacy and there are a few more things, but all of this is in the right direction," Zelensky said, adding: "He was very constructive during the meeting."
Meanwhile, US-backed efforts to reach a peace agreement remain stalled as Washington turns its attention to the conflict with Iran. Ahead of the summit, Trump spoke with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said Russia would continue the war, while Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine cede the rest of the Donetsk region.