Trump gives Ukraine condition for Patriot missile license

Should Kiev be permitted to produce the weapons, they would be a “less sophisticated version,” the US president has said Ukraine would produce a “less sophisticated version” of Patriot interceptors should the US choose to grant it a license, President Donald Trump has stated.In recent months, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly asked his Western backers for at least 300 additional missiles to sustain Ukrainian air defenses through the coming winter.However, according to multiple media reports, the US and its allies are facing severe shortages of Patriot interceptors as Washington has used up a significant part of its stocks in the course of its conflict with Iran.When asked by a reporter on board Air Force One on Sunday whether Ukraine would receive a license for the air defense missiles, Trump said “we’re talking about it,” clarifying that it would be a “less sophisticated version.”Trump originally floated the possibility during a meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Türkiye in July.“We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots… This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough,” the US president told his counterpart at the time...