Bloomberg: Trump Will Ask U.S. Companies To Manufacture Weapons In Ukraine
- 18.06.2026, 9:42
The G7 summit in France was a major success for Kyiv.
U.S. President Donald Trump will ask American defense companies to manufacture weapons under license in Europe and Ukraine.
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing officials familiar with the negotiations. “They would like to have that option, and we will consider it,” Trump said at the G7 summit in France.
The publication noted that Ukraine needs air defense systems, specifically interceptor missiles to destroy Russian ballistic missiles, which only the U.S. can produce.
The publication’s sources noted that, given that the U.S. has depleted much of its stockpiles during the war against Iran, it now needs time to ramp up production; therefore, Trump told his allies that he would consider the possibility of licensing.
“Specific licenses will be discussed in detail among the participating countries. This involves U.S. companies granting comprehensive licenses to European manufacturers,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“We are all facing the problem of insufficient production—and this can be offset by granting licenses to companies with the necessary production capacity. These include both European and Ukrainian companies,” Merz emphasized.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Trump “insisted on mobilizing the American defense industry and its capacity to supply such equipment.”
The publication noted that the U.S. manufactures certain types of weapons under license abroad—for example, Patriot missiles in Germany—but generally guards its licensing agreements closely due to concerns about intellectual property and supply chains.
The U.S. continues to supply Ukraine with air defense systems funded by Europe and Canada through the PURL program, despite concerns that stockpiles may be running low.
Regarding the G7 summit in France, the publication noted that it was an unexpected success for Ukraine.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Trump, and all allies, including the U.S., signed a positive joint statement. Trump even expressed a willingness to strengthen sanctions against Moscow,” the journalists noted in the article.