Trump dodges question about Patriot missile licenses for Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump refused to give a direct answer to the question of whether Washington would issue Ukraine licenses to produce missiles for American Patriot air defense systems.

The relevant excerpt from the American leader’s interview was circulated by political Telegram channels.

When a journalist asked whether the White House was coordinating this issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump shifted to the topic of negotiations.

“I’ve agreed with Zelensky on many different topics, and on many of those issues we have very strong agreement. But you know what I want from him? I want him to make a deal. I want him to make a deal with Putin, and I want Putin to make a deal with him,” Trump said.

During the same interview, Trump cited figures on Ukrainian military casualties: according to him, 25,000 people were killed in August, 32,000 in July, and 33,000 in June. Walking off camera, the American president added: “What a shame!”

Zelensky reportedly believes that Trump is favorably disposed toward transferring Patriot missile licenses to Ukraine. At the same time, according to media reports, the United States has still not provided Ukraine with the air defense missiles that the Ukrainian Armed Forces need right now.