Trump lets Ukraine make Patriot systems as NATO pledges USD 80 billion

Summary

US President Donald Trump said at a NATO summit on Wednesday that Washington will allow Ukraine to make Patriot air defence systems under licence, a move Kyiv has long sought as it faces continued missile attacks from Russia in a war now running for more than four years. Trump also said the US would “work on some kind of security package” for Ukraine, while NATO leaders pledged USD 80 billion to help meet the country’s defence needs this year and next. The summit also saw Trump shift from sharp criticism of some allies to a more positive tone by the end of the day, as NATO members highlighted higher defence spending. Alongside that, the Trump administration announced plans to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, while NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte backed the latest US strikes on Iran and urged Trump to take credit for allied spending increases. Meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara, Trump struck a notably warmer tone than in earlier encounters. “We’ve actually developed a good relationship. He said Zelenskyy had “done an amazing job” and been “very effective” in the war. Trump then announced a major shift in US policy on Patriots, saying, “We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. Trump had already signed an executive order in June 2025 ending several economic sanctions. However, sanctions under the Caesar Act, which target those doing business with or supporting Syria’s military, intelligence or other suspect institutions, remain in place and can be removed only through legislation. The summit brought together several strands of Trump’s foreign policy at once: support for Ukraine through Patriot production, pressure on NATO allies to spend more, backing for military action against Iran, and a fresh step towards normalising ties with Syria.