Ukraine Discusses Joint Weapons Production With Lockheed Martin

During his latest visit to the White House on Tuesday, July 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with representatives from Lockheed Martin, one of the largest American defense manufacturers, to discuss expanding joint production.Zelensky announced the meeting in a statement on Telegram, noting that Ukraine has been cooperating with the company for years, and is now working toward a deeper partnership.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Today, we discussed even greater development of our cooperation – joint production and technology exchange,” Zelensky said.“Our teams are already working on concrete solutions to move as quickly as possible toward joint production and to increase our capacity to protect lives,” he continued.Talks focused on Patriot production capacityZelensky praised Lockheed Martin as “one of the strongest defense companies in the United States,” noting that the company produces Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), a long-range guided ballistic missile, alongside High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and Air Force F-16 fighter jets, the same type Romania used to down Russian drones in its territorial waters over the weekend on July 24-26.According to Zelensky, both sides are pursuing concrete steps to accelerate the transition toward co-production arrangements rather than relying solely on imported systems, as Russia continues to launch ballistic missiles on Ukraine, and tensions between Iran and the US deepen. Other Topics of Interest Russians Form Street Patrol to Shield Men From Forced Recruitment One local recruit reportedly died in combat just weeks after being coerced into signing a military contract. The talks come as Ukraine has intensified efforts in recent months to secure both allied delivery and domestic production rights for Patriot interceptors, which remain one of the most effective defenses against ongoing Russian threats.Zelensky has held a series of meetings with American and Western authorities throughout the year, aiming to expand Ukraine’s air defense production capacity.Meeting with Trump follows string of high-level talksEarlier on Tuesday, July 28, Zelensky had met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, confirming that the two discussed Patriot licensing arrangements and ways to accelerate diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war.Their meeting came as Zelensky is also expected to attend the funeral of the late US Senator Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly on July 11 at the age of 71, one day after meeting Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv. Memorial events are scheduled for Tuesday, July 28 in Washington and Wednesday, July 29 in South Carolina.He was a “true friend of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.Zelensky and Trump had previously met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 7-8, where Trump first signaled Washington would grant Ukraine a license to produce its own Patriot air-defense systems.On July 20, Lockheed Martin unveiled cheaper Patriot interceptors, PAC-3 ACE, designed to deter air and missile threats at less than half the cost of the PAC-3 MSE as global demand surges.On July 23, Zelensky announced a possible joint cooperation with Raytheon as well. However, he did not provide a specific timeline for launching production or disclose further details about the proposed arrangement. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.