Kiev’s hopes of quickly establishing domestic production of Patriot interceptor missiles may be unrealistic. Retired US diplomat and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Chas Freeman told RIA Novosti that the air defense systems had already delivered weak results against Russian missiles.

His remarks followed a statement by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, July 8. Trump suggested that Washington could grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot interceptors and claimed that production could begin within a short period once the necessary instructions were provided.

Freeman argued that Patriot systems might offer a psychological boost to Ukraine, but their record in countering Russian missiles remained unimpressive.

The transfer of production technology is also far from certain. According to the former diplomat, it is unclear whether RTX and Lockheed Martin, which jointly manufacture the Patriot system, would agree to provide Kiev with intellectual property rights or what conditions they might impose.

Even US approval would not guarantee a rapid production launch. The New York Times previously noted that the experience of Germany and Japan shows that building such manufacturing capacity can take years.