Trump says U.S. has 'not agreed to' grant Ukraine Patriot missile licenses

President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. "has not agreed" to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missile systems, apparently backtracking on one of Kyiv's top priorities in its war against Russia.

The advanced military technology is "a hard thing to give away," Trump said at a Cabinet meeting, adding that the country that receives it could "someday turn on you."

"You have to be very careful," Trump said. He noted that the U.S. and Ukraine are still "talking about it."

Trump's latest comments on the war in eastern Europe came three days after he spoke at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the leaders had a "good meeting" about the Patriot licenses.

Less than three weeks earlier, Trump said at a NATO summit in Turkey that the U.S. would give Ukraine the licenses.

But on Thursday, Trump told the Financial Times he was "not sure" if he would follow through on letting Kyiv build the "extraordinary weapon."

Zelenskyy says the Patriot system is crucial to Ukraine's ability to intercept incoming ballistic missiles from Russia.

The issue "remains a top priority" for Kyiv, he said Friday following a call with Vice President JD Vance.

"We agreed that our teams will stay in touch and work through everything discussed today," Zelenskyy wrote in an X post. "I thank the United States for its support of Ukraine and our people."

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