A US license allowing Ukraine to produce missiles for Patriot air defense systems could give Kiev an additional security guarantee and encourage it to enter negotiations with Moscow. Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and an American affairs expert, gave this assessment in comments to NEWS.ru.
According to Blokhin, such a move by Washington would complicate relations between Russia and the United States while also providing Vladimir Zelensky with the guarantees he has been seeking. If Kiev does move toward negotiations, the license could serve as a form of «insurance» for Zelensky during the settlement process.
At the same time, receiving production rights would not mean that Ukraine could immediately obtain the required missiles. Kiev would first have to establish manufacturing facilities, secure substantial funding and build up the necessary industrial capacity.
Blokhin questioned whether Ukraine would be able to carry out such a project while hostilities continue. Producing Patriot missiles is expensive and time-consuming, meaning that even with a license Kiev would not be able to quickly launch large-scale production.
From Russia’s perspective, he added, the move could also have an upside because there is no certainty that Ukraine would manage to create the required manufacturing base or produce Patriot missiles in significant quantities.