Ukraine has expressed interest in cooperating with Mitsubishi, which manufactures missiles for the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system under license. According to the Ukrainian president, Kyiv is particularly interested in exchanging expertise with the Japanese company and hopes to develop cooperation if the Japanese side is willing to move forward.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he was prepared to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles. However, he emphasized that the initiative would still require approval from the system’s manufacturers, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
Experts argue that even if the proposal receives all necessary approvals, launching production would take at least one year. They also note that supplying Ukraine with a sufficient number of interceptor missiles would remain a major challenge due to the complexity and scale of manufacturing. According to specialists, Ukraine would require thousands of interceptor missiles annually to effectively counter ballistic missile attacks, meaning that even localized production would not immediately meet the country’s defense needs.
At present, Mitsubishi has not commented on Ukraine’s proposal. Whether the company will participate in the potential project remains unknown.
