Zelenskyy eyes possibility of granting licenses for air defense production with partners

“We have discussed with our partners, including the United States, the possibility of granting Ukraine licenses to produce air defense systems and missiles for them. There is nothing impossible about this, and it would only strengthen our shared capabilities to ensure security. This is exactly the kind of strength that makes lasting peace possible,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Claiming that Russia launched nearly 700 aerial bombs and over 600 drones towards Ukraine over the past week, Zelenskyy argued that the ongoing war since February 2022 in his country rages on due to Moscow’s aerial superiority.

“That is why it is crucial for our partners to fulfill the agreements already made with us,” Zelenskyy further said, declaring that the decisions adopted at the latest NATO summit in Washington in July 2024 and during Ramstein meetings have still not been fully implemented.

The Ukrainian president went on to reiterate that Russia can only be “forced into peace,” adding that a “sufficient quantity and quality” of air defense systems must be part of Kyiv’s efforts to coerce Moscow to do so.