US President Donald Trump announced on July 9 that he will approve a license allowing Ukraine to produce its own Patriot missile interceptors, a decision that could take years to implement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the country is running low on Patriot interceptors, limiting its ability to defend against Russian ballistic missiles. An overnight attack on July 6, in which 23 missiles were launched, resulted in at least 22 deaths in Kyiv. Trump made the announcement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, saying the license would give Ukraine the capacity to manufacture Patriots and that the process is subject to export controls. According to Timur Kadyshev, senior researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, the administrative review could take six months to a year before Lockheed Martin can issue the license. Kadyshev added that the agreement will specify whether Ukraine produces the older PAC‑2 or the newer PAC‑3 interceptors, with PAC‑3 capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a 30‑50% success rate, compared with less than 10% for PAC‑2. Building a production facility in Ukraine will require construction, dispersal of manufacturing to reduce vulnerability, and contracts with subcontractors for components such as seekers, which experts say are currently in limited supply. Justin Bronk, an airpower specialist at the Royal United States Institute, said European nations have already purchased or placed orders for new Patriots to replace those supplied to Ukraine, and Germany has invested several billion dollars in domestic production. South Korea and Japan also face ballistic‑missile threats and are seeking similar capabilities. Huseyn Aliyev, an expert on the war in Ukraine at the University of Glasgow, said the shortage forces Ukraine to rely on less capable defenses for drones and cruise missiles while awaiting Patriot replacements. Kadyshev noted that developing domestic production would serve as a long‑term investment and could provide Ukraine with a dissuasive force against further Russian attacks, but that Ukraine is unlikely to deliver its first interceptor before several years. Until the licensing and production process is completed, Ukraine must continue to endure Russian missile strikes, with analysts suggesting that intensified attacks on Russian launch sites may be the only immediate defensive measure.