Trump's rambling response leaves Patriot missile license for Ukraine unclear

Published Aug 2, 07:13 AM UTC

President Donald Trump gave a rambling, 645-word response to a question about whether he would honor a prior commitment to allow Ukraine to build its own Patriot anti-missile interceptor factory. His answer included explosion noises, attacks on Joe Biden, mentions of Tomahawk missiles, and digressions to India, Pakistan, Congo, and Rwanda, leaving his position unclear. The pledge was made at the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, but Trump later expressed caution about licensing the technology. Despite the confusion, Ukrainian officials, including President Zelenskyy and Ambassador Stefanishyna, said they are proceeding based on the commitment, with plans for a factory within a year. The article notes Trump's history of admiration for Putin and his moral equivalence between Russia's war crimes and Ukraine's defensive strikes.