Trump grants Ukraine licence to build Patriot missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that US President Donald Trump told him he made a "final decision" to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot air defence missiles, following earlier reversals on the issue. Kyiv faces an acute shortage of Patriot interceptors, which are the only system reliably able to counter Russia's ballistic missiles, amid increased drone and missile attacks. A drone strike on Kyiv Friday killed a 14-year-old boy, which Zelenskyy called "an absolutely savage and sickening strike." Even if licences are granted, establishing industrial capacity would take over a year and not meet immediate needs. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine needs five per cent of US Patriot interceptors to get through winter, as Moscow now attacks the capital in daylight with jet-powered drones.