The United States is discussing the possibility of granting Ukraine a license to produce older versions of ammunition for Patriot air defense missile systems.

Operativ Media reports that US President Donald Trump said this during a conversation with journalists while flying from Ireland to the US.

Trump responded affirmatively when asked whether granting Ukraine a US license to produce Patriot ammunition was being discussed. He noted that the discussions concern less modern versions of the interceptors.

The US President declined to comment on European countries' plans to sell Patriot missile interceptors to Ukraine, noting instead that the US has large stockpiles of certain types of weapons.

Trump said that a significant portion of the more modern ammunition has been supplied to Ukraine, but the US is rapidly replenishing those stockpiles.

In early September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that even if Ukraine receives a license from the US, it would take several years to establish facilities to produce ammunition for Patriot systems.

According to Rubio, the Patriot is a highly complex weapon system, and a potential license would not address Ukraine's short-term needs for these systems. He noted that talks on the matter are ongoing and could yield results in the future.