US President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s request for hundreds of additional Patriot interceptor missiles. The refusal comes as Washington has cast doubt on plans to allow Ukraine to manufacture the weapons under license.

According to sources close to the talks, Trump declined the request during an Oval Office meeting last week, citing shortages in US inventories and Washington’s own needs for the missiles amid the conflict with Iran. He has publicly rejected reports of munition shortfalls.

As Russian forces have intensified strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial and logistics facilities, Zelenskiy’s persistent demands for Western air-defense systems have grown increasingly urgent. Ukraine has repeatedly complained about insufficient Patriot interceptors, prompting Zelensky to direct Ukrainian ambassadors to monitor missile stockpiles in their host countries and pressure governments to transfer weapons.

Trump had previously suggested at a NATO summit in Türkiye last month that Washington could allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles domestically or elsewhere in Europe. However, he has since cast doubt on the initiative, stating the Pentagon is “looking at it” but must be “a little bit careful” about whom it licenses to produce sensitive US military technology.

Experts warn that even with approval, the plan would take years before the first Ukrainian-produced interceptors emerge from a new production line. The initiative has also faced resistance from US manufacturers like Boeing, which produces critical components for PAC-3 interceptors and is reportedly reluctant to transfer the technology abroad. Existing production chains are strained.

Several European NATO members have indicated they are reaching the limits of what they can provide Ukraine without weakening their own defenses. Moscow maintains that Western arms deliveries only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome, while Russian officials warn that supplying increasingly advanced weapons makes NATO countries direct participants in hostilities.