Kellogg Cited the Reason for the Pause in Patriot Production in Ukraine
Former U.S. presidential special envoy Keith Kellogg suggested that the transfer of a license to Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems may have been delayed due to the stance of U.S. defense companies. According to him, major manufacturers are concerned about the potential transfer of their intellectual property to Ukraine.
Keith Kellogg discussed the situation regarding the Patriot production license in an interview cited by a Ukrainian publication. He said that initially, U.S. President Donald Trump supported the idea of granting Ukraine the relevant license. On July 8, he conveyed this to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, about three weeks later, Trump was already saying that no final agreement had been reached.
Kellogg believes that one of the reasons may have been concerns raised by the companies that manufacture the Patriot system. Specifically, he refers to the American defense giant Lockheed Martin. “I think what actually happened was this: people or companies like Lockheed Martin—the big defense giants—got nervous about granting Ukraine, as they put it, a license to their intellectual property,” Kellogg explained.
He believes that this stance by the companies should not become an obstacle for Ukraine. In the general’s view, the Ukrainian defense industry has the ability to quickly implement new solutions and adapt them to the realities of war. “Why do I like the idea of Ukraine doing this? Because they can work faster here—and probably better—with new solutions. So we need to give the Ukrainians this chance,” Kellogg said.
This is not just about the possibility of manufacturing individual components of the Patriot systems in Ukraine. Transferring the license would enable the Ukrainian industry to independently manufacture the relevant products using American technology and more quickly meet the needs of Ukraine’s air defense forces.
Kellogg also stated that he plans to personally discuss this issue with Trump after his visit concludes. “When I return from this visit, I’ll have the opportunity to go to the president and tell him what I think he should do. I think he has listened to certain people, and that’s a shame,” the general concluded.
Thus, according to Kellogg, the decision regarding the Patriot license may have been stalled not only by political or military considerations but also by the commercial interests of American arms manufacturers. At the same time, according to Kellogg, no final decision has yet been made regarding the transfer of the license to Ukraine. This information comes from an interview with Keith Kellogg, the former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine.
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