Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine will initially be manufactured in Germany, not in Ukraine - Reuters

In the first phase, Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine will be manufactured in Germany or another European country. Plans to move production directly to Ukraine will be considered only after the war ends.

Reuters reported this, citing two sources familiar with the negotiations.

According to the agency’s sources, locating production in Germany is considered a safer option, as russia continues to launch attacks on Ukrainian territory.

How long will it take to build the plant?

Reuters also quotes experts who believe that launching production will take a significant amount of time. This involves not only building the assembly plant but also establishing a network of suppliers and setting up production processes.

Fabian Hoffmann, a missile systems expert at the Norwegian Defense University College, said that quick results should not be expected.

“Short term, ⁠the impact will be very limited. I would be very surprised if this is faster than 12 months. I would assume significantly longer,” he said.

What Trump said about the missile production license?

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he and US President Donald Trump had reached a political agreement on the production of missiles for Patriot systems in Ukraine.

According to Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian side expects to receive the license as soon as possible so that technical teams and relevant ministries can begin preparations for production.

For his part, Donald Trump confirmed the US intention to grant Ukraine the right to manufacture Patriot missiles.

“a little birdie told me this – about the fact that we'll give them the right to make Patriots. We'll show them how to do it – it's very complex actually. But you'll figure out the complexity quickly. We talked about it,” he said.

Despite these statements, according to Reuters, the actual production of interceptor missiles is initially planned to be organized in Europe and then moved to Ukraine once the war ends.

As a reminder, Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, believes that it could take a year to get the plant up and running in Ukraine.