Trump and Zelensky meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit [AFP=Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would authorize the local production of Patriot air defense missiles, which Ukraine can use to defend against Russian missiles.

President Trump, who is visiting Ankara, Turkey, to attend the NATO summit, told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting on the 8th (local time), "One of the things we will discuss is giving you the license to build Patriots."

President Trump added, "If you do that, you won't be able to complain that we aren't providing you with enough (air defense weapons, etc.)."

At a press conference the previous day, President Zelenskyy stated that the production volume of U.S.-made Patriot missiles needed for his country is insufficient, and he requested that NATO member states persuade the U.S. to grant Ukraine a license to produce the missiles domestically.