Trump Backs Away from Patriot Missile Pledge: We Have Not Reached an Agreement with Ukraine

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington has not approved Ukraine’s production of Patriot missiles, while negotiations on the issue continue.

Two days earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky had said that an agreement had been reached, but Trump appears to have changed his position, Reuters reports.

During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Turkey this month, Trump had announced that he would grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missile interceptors, with the aim of strengthening its defenses against Russian attacks. However, he has since backed away from that pledge, even though he hosted Zelensky at the White House this week.

When asked on Friday during a Cabinet meeting about the possibility of supplying Patriot missiles, the US president said that concerns remained over the transfer of advanced American weapons, including missile technology.

“It’s a big step. I spoke with President Zelenskiy, and he wanted to have some Patriot missiles and some Tomahawks, which are deadly. So, they are offensive and defensive… But you have to be very measured, very careful. We have not agreed to that. We are talking about it, but it is difficult to give that kind of technology to another country. And I don’t think that would ever happen. Why? Because there are people to whom you give that technology, and one day they may turn against you,” Trump said.