President Donald Trump said the U.S. will give Ukraine licenses to manufacture Patriot missiles in the country. However, experts are warning the process could take years.
Speaking to press while meeting Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkey, on Wednesday Trump said the U.S. will show Kyiv "how to do it."
"It's very complex actually. But it's — you'll figure out the complexity quickly," Trump added. He said the U.S. won't give more such missiles to Ukraine because it needs the equipment.
However, experts on the matter told ABC News that the process will not address the country's immediate needs.
Bradley Bowman, a scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the outlet that the "problem is that these things aren't like flipping on a light switch."
"You can devote the money necessary, but that's not going to manifest itself and increase production capacity for a significant period of time," he added.
The outlet noted that Lockheed Martin produced some 620 Patriot missiles last year, but they are being used in ongoing conflicts at a much faster rate than the company can replenish them.
It added that Germany began the process to produce them in 2024, but none are expected until at least 2027. And even though Ukraine could move faster, the process would still take years.
In the meantime, Russia continues to strike Ukraine with missiles as the country runs low on interceptors. Earlier this week, Ukraine sustained an attack of 23 ballistic missiles, and was not able to intercept any of them.
Zelensky was expected to pledge for more missiles, claiming earlier this week that "as long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies' stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep 'vanquishing' residential buildings."
"It is critically important that the world – first and foremost the United States and our European partners – come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people's lives," he added.
Ukraine, in turn, has also stepped up attacks against Russia. It has increasingly targeted the country's energy infrastructure, putting pressure on the country's fuel supply network.
The most recent attacks took place on July 4 and struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and facilities in Russia's Leningrad region. Previous operations have targeted key energy sites in Yaroslavl, Tuapse, and Krasnodar Krai.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on 28 June that fuel shortages had become a concern in some regions, underscoring the impact that repeated attacks are having on one of the country's most important economic areas.
