President Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday he would grant Kyiv a license to make its own critically needed Patriot air-defense missiles, joking: “This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough.”

“One of the things I think we’re going to be talking about today, a little birdie told me this, about the fact that we’ll give them the right to make Patriots,” Trump said ahead of his closed-door sitdown with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.

Patriot missiles have long been in short supply, but now are running critically low — forcing Ukraine in recent days to let Russian missiles strike Kyiv without interception.

A US-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile is launched during an exercise. AFP via Getty Images Zelensky speaks with Trump during the NATO summit on July 8, 2026. Getty Images

On Sunday alone, Russia fired a barrage of 23 missiles — none of which were intercepted due to the global shortage, according to Ukrainian officials.

At least 22 people died and 56 were injured in those strikes.

The move marks one of the biggest changes in US military support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, continuing Trump’s shift from the US simply supplying Patriot interceptors to allowing Kyiv to manufacture one of America’s most closely guarded air-defense systems.

Despite their longstanding need for the missiles, former President Joe Biden had denied Zelensky’s request for the license — despite the US defense industry struggling to keep up with demands.

Ukraine will join just three other foreign countries — Japan, Germany and Poland — with a license or preliminary approval to produce the life-saving missiles.

Trump estimated that the US could get Ukraine up and running with Patriot production by this fall.

A graphic of how the Patriot Missile System works. Tam Nguyen / NYPost Design

“We’ll show them how to do it. It’s very complex, actually, but it’s — you’ll figure out the complexity quickly, and we’re talking about that,” Trump said. “The company that makes them, which is building now four plants, you know — all of our companies will be able to do this in two to three months”

The president also acknowledged his warming relationship with Zelensky, reflecting on their disastrous meeting at the White House in February 2025 at which Trump told the Ukrainian president he didn’t “have the cards.”

“We’ve actually developed a good relationship! Hard to believe, right? From the Oval Office to now.”

War has forced Ukraine to rapidly build up its defense industry, which is now capable of producing long-range missiles and drones that can strike deep into Russian territory.

Air Defense Missile Squadron’s Patriot missile systems performing a test in Poland. Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS

Ukraine has long sought a license to produce its own Patriot missiles as global stocks ran dry, and Kyiv feels confident it can scale up production rapidly once the paperwork is approved. 

Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olha Stefanishyna on Wednesday said Trump’s offer will also benefit the US, as it will “free up UP defense capacity to backfill and modernize US forces.”

“Strengthening defense cooperation through joint production and licensing will accelerate delivery of essential weapons to deter threats and maintain US global leadership in defense technology,” she said.