During the NATO meeting in Ankara on July 8, 2026, President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States would help Kyiv develop its own Patriot air‑defence system after the alliance approved a licence for Ukraine to produce the weapons and pledged a multi‑year aid package worth tens of billions of euros. The comment arrived as the summit dealt with renewed U.S. strikes on Iran, European partners’ reluctance to host U.S. aircraft, and a collective commitment by NATO members to raise defence spending. Enabling Ukraine to manufacture the missiles is intended to strengthen its capacity to counter Russian attacks, making it a prominent part of the security assurances announced at the gathering.