Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Donald Trump agreed to grant Kyiv a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, though Trump later said no decision had been made and that the matter was under review, noting such technology is rarely licensed to foreign partners.
Zelensky, who arrived in Washington on 28 July for talks and the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, requested an emergency "winter package" of Patriot interceptors to counter Russian ballistic strikes on energy infrastructure. Ukraine aims to stockpile 300 interceptors before winter, with Trump citing competing demand from the Middle East. Zelensky also met with Lockheed Martin representatives to discuss scaling production, though local manufacturing could take up to five years to ramp up.
Zelensky claimed battlefield initiative has shifted away from Vladimir Putin, asserting Russia is losing 30,000 troops monthly. The U.S. Senate is accelerating work on new sanctions against Moscow.