Trump declines to say if Ukraine can manufacture Patriot missiles to fend off Russian attacks

President Donald Trump on Saturday declined to say whether he agreed to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles to fend off Russian attacks, an assertion made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a day earlier.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this week. Zelensky told reporters on Friday that during their meeting Trump said that Ukraine “will receive a license to manufacture Patriot missiles.”

But when asked by CNN on Saturday about a potential licensing agreement, Trump confirmed he and Zelensky spoke about the critical interceptors but shifted the focus of his answer toward calling on Ukraine and Russia to make a deal to end the conflict.

“We talked about a lot of different subjects, and many of those subjects… very strong agreement,” Trump said about the meeting, just before leaving the White House to attend a college football game in Tennessee. “But you know what I want him to do? Make a deal. I want him to settle with Putin, and I want Putin to settle with him.”

CNN has reached out to the White House for clarification on Trump’s comments.

Patriot interceptors are among the few weapons capable of taking ballistic missiles down. But a recent global supply crunch prompted dozens of countries to rush to reinforce their defense systems, seriously affecting Ukraine’s supply.

Zelensky has long pushed for the US to allow Ukraine to manufacture the interceptors, seizing on indications by Trump in July that such an arrangement, likely involving US companies, is possible.

During his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, Zelensky called Russian President Vladimir Putin “patient zero,” saying the more freedom Russia’s president has to act, “the more dangerous the world becomes for everyone else.”

Without Patriot interceptors, Ukraine has struggled to fend off a recent onslaught of Russian attacks, seeing the country’s death toll significantly rise, including seven deaths on Friday during a series of daytime drone strikes in Kyiv.

CNN’s Charlotte Reck contributed to this story.

周六，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普拒绝透露他是否同意允许乌克兰制造爱国者导弹以抵御俄罗斯的攻击，而乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基在前一天曾做出过这一断言。

本周早些时候，两位领导人在纽约联合国大会期间举行了会晤。泽连斯基周五告诉记者，特朗普在会晤中表示，乌克兰“将获得生产爱国者导弹的许可证”。

但周六 CNN 就潜在的许可协议询问特朗普时，特朗普证实他和泽连斯基谈到了关键的拦截器，但他将回答的重点转移到呼吁乌克兰和俄罗斯达成协议以结束冲突上。

“我们谈了很多不同的话题，其中很多话题……我们都达成了高度共识，”特朗普在离开白宫前往田纳西州观看一场大学橄榄球赛前谈到这次会晤时说道。“但你知道我希望他做什么吗？达成协议。我希望他与普京达成和解，我也希望普京与他达成和解。”

CNN已联系白宫，希望就特朗普的言论得到澄清。

爱国者拦截器是少数几种能够拦截弹道导弹的武器之一。但近期全球供应短缺促使数十个国家争相加强其防御系统，严重影响了乌克兰的供应。

泽连斯基长期以来一直敦促美国允许乌克兰制造拦截器，并抓住特朗普在7月份暗示这种安排（可能涉及美国公司）是可能的这一点。

泽连斯基在联合国大会上发表讲话时，称俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京为“零号病人”，并表示俄罗斯总统的行动自由越多，“世界对其他人就越危险”。

由于缺乏爱国者拦截器，乌克兰难以抵御俄罗斯最近的猛烈攻击，该国的死亡人数大幅上升，其中包括周五在基辅发生的一系列白天无人机袭击中造成的七人死亡。

CNN的夏洛特·雷克对本文亦有贡献。