Washington responded to repeated demands from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding supplying his country with Patriot missiles for use against Russia, as US President Donald Trump himself announced this decision.

Ukraine becomes the third country, after Japan and Germany, to obtain a license from the United States to manufacture Patriot missiles. However, obtaining a license does not mean starting production immediately.

Experts believe that even if Ukraine establishes a factory to manufacture missiles, the process will take a long time, and the license will not provide an immediate solution. One expert said: “It is very difficult to give an accurate figure for when we will move to extensive use of missiles manufactured locally in Ukraine against Russian air threats. I think it will take at least 18 months, and perhaps more. This will not be a solution to the weapons problem, and it will not solve the air defense threats that Ukraine will face directly tomorrow. But it will send a signal to Russia that Ukraine is preparing for a long-term air war and is ready to defend itself in it, and this is an important political signal for Russia.”

The experts gave an example. Germany, which was granted a license to manufacture by the administration of former US President Joe BidenPatriot defense missiles at the beginning of the war in 2022 by establishing a factory dedicated to that.