Trump offers Ukraine Patriot license, backs strikes on Russia

President Donald Trump expressed support for Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian territory during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, calling the attacks an escalation that could help end the war.

The remarks, made at the start of a bilateral meeting, represent a notable evolution in Trump's posture toward the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, given the floor on the topic, said the strikes had changed the dynamics of the war. "I think that's one of the dynamics that's changed in this war over the last few months, and that is that the Russians are finding it more difficult to defend their own airspace. And what we hope that means is that it's going to create the space now to negotiate the end of this war," Rubio said.pravda

Trump then added: "It's an escalation, but it's also an escalation that can help lead to an end" of the war.pravda

A Shift in Tone

The comments came alongside another major announcement: Trump told Zelenskyy the United States would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems domestically. "We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool, right?" Trump said.abcnews+2

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian oil refining facilities and noted that Trump had acknowledged their impact. The endorsement follows weeks of intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, including strikes on an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and the Kronstadt Naval Base.cnbc+1

Battlefield Context

Ukraine has stepped up deep strikes against Russian targets in recent months, hitting oil refineries in Russia's Yaroslavl and Leningrad regions and targeting fuel production facilities across the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently acknowledged for the first time the impact of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian fuel production.cnbc

The diplomatic maneuvering comes as Russia continues to hammer Ukraine's capital. Deadly ballistic missile and drone attacks struck Kyiv in the days leading up to the summit, killing dozens and damaging residential buildings. Ukrainian officials have argued that resolving the conflict requires changing the pressure dynamics on Moscow rather than pursuing further iterations of stalled peace proposals.cnn+1

Trump said Monday that a resolution to the war was "getting closer than people realize," though no structured peace talks between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow are currently planned.nypost+1