MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. Even if Ukraine obtains a license to produce Patriot air defense systems from the United States, launching the production will take at least one year at best, Vladimir Zelensky said.

When asked how long it would take to start the production, he said: "From 12 months to several years."

"Ukraine should obtain corresponding licenses," he told Ukrainian television. "There are certain procedures and rules in other countries, not only in the United States, but in Europe, too."

In his words, even if the license to manufacture Patriots is granted to Ukraine, it will not be able to produce interceptor missiles on its own.

During a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara in June, US President Donald Trump said transfering the Patriot license to Ukraine was possible. However, in late July Trump apparently reversed his decision. The American president told reporters that the US had not agreed to letting Ukraine ·build Patriot missiles and the US must be "very careful about letting somebody build them."