“Raytheon is a very strong defense company, and Ukraine has long been using its equipment to protect our people from brutal Russian attacks. I am grateful for the company’s willingness to take our partnership to an even higher level, when Ukraine will produce together with Raytheon one of the most important means of air defense – interceptors for the Patriots. We talked about this with President Trump in Ankara, and now is the time to move in this direction,” Zelenskyy wrote after the meeting.
The focus on Patriot interceptors reflects Ukraine’s broader effort to strengthen air defense against Russian attacks while building longer-term production options. Zelenskyy also said the talks with Raytheon covered other areas of partnership linked to non-offensive military equipment.
“Our teams – at the government level and from the private sector – will maintain contact to finalize everything,” he summarized. The comment indicates that both official and industry-level discussions will continue before the arrangements are completed.
In a separate meeting, Zelenskyy and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker discussed the outcomes of the NATO Summit in Ankara. The agenda focused in particular on decisions to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and their implementation, including agreements on licenses to produce missiles for Patriot systems.
“I think it was a very successful summit, and during your visit we discussed many different issues. We are deeply grateful to the United States for your tremendous support,” the President said.
Zelenskyy also briefed Whitaker on the battlefield situation. “Every day is difficult for our warriors, of course, and that’s understandable. But the initiative is not in Russia’s hands, and I think that’s a good thing,” the Head of State noted.
The talks with Whitaker also covered work on a future Drone Deal agreement between Ukraine and the United States. According to the Ukrainian president’s office, documents already signed have brought the two countries closer to concluding the agreement, while Ukraine is now able to send its drones to the United States for testing.
Zelenskyy thanked Whitaker for his role in implementing the PURL initiative, which has helped Ukraine obtain the capabilities needed to protect its skies. The mechanism supports deliveries of U.S. equipment financed with European funding.
“PURL has been a tremendous success. It was created by President Trump a year ago, and he asked me to coordinate it. I believe we’ve now reached nearly $8 billion. This is U.S. equipment paid for with European funding. That’s exactly how the program was designed. It should continue to grow and become even more successful in helping you,” the U.S. Ambassador to NATO emphasized.
The two meetings place Patriot interceptor supply, missile-production licensing and U.S.-Ukrainian industrial cooperation at the center of Kyiv’s current defense agenda. For Ukraine, the next step is to turn the political and industrial discussions into finalized arrangements that can support air defense and related capabilities over time.
