Media: Washington backs Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s energy sector

Ukraine has evolved from a major recipient of US military support into a growing defence technology producer that could become an important partner for the United States, according to an analysis published by The Atlantic.

The article by Michael Weiss says Ukraine's military position has strengthened significantly over the past year. Its forces have slowed Russian advances, used drones extensively against Russian operations and developed the capacity to manufacture large quantities of weapons domestically.

The analysis comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks US approval to manufacture Patriot air-defence interceptors in Ukraine.

After meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House on July 28, Zelenskyy said on August 8 that an agreement had been reached on the licences. Washington has not publicly confirmed that such an agreement has been finalised.

Trump had previously expressed reservations about allowing Ukraine access to Patriot technology.

“It’s a very extraordinary weapon,” Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times, adding: “we have to be a little bit careful of who we license to.”

The Atlantic argues that Ukraine's growing domestic defence industry has changed its position in relation to the US and its European allies.

Ukraine now produces many of its own weapons and has increasingly relied on drones to counter Russian forces. The country has also carried out long-range strikes against Russian oil refineries, export terminals and other strategic infrastructure.

According to the article, Ukraine has become a major centre for military robotics and drone technology. President Zelenskyy has estimated that the country produces about 10 million drones a year.

The analysis says Ukrainian companies are now producing more weapons than the country's government can afford to purchase, prompting Kyiv to approve defence exports for the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Ukraine has also shared some of its military expertise with the US. The article says Ukrainian technical advisers were reportedly involved in deploying the country's Sky Map counter-drone system in the Persian Gulf following Iranian drone attacks on US bases.

The growing cooperation comes as US stocks of Patriot interceptors face pressure.

The US has used a significant proportion of its Patriot interceptor stocks in the Middle East, while Ukraine continues to face Russian ballistic-missile attacks.

Although Ukraine could eventually manufacture Patriot systems domestically, the process would take years. Kyiv is therefore seeking immediate supplies of interceptors alongside a longer-term production arrangement.

The Atlantic argues that approving a Patriot manufacturing licence could ultimately benefit both countries by expanding Ukraine's defence production capacity while creating another potential source of weapons for the US and its allies.

However, concerns remain within the US defence industry over intellectual property and technology transfers.

A Republican official supporting the licence told the magazine that Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, which manufacture the Patriot system, would “officially frame their concerns around IP theft and tech transfer”.

But the official said their “real worry is that the Ukrainians will find a way to improve the Patriot and then produce them at scale faster and for much less money than what the existing production lines in the U.S. could do.”

The analysis concludes that Ukraine's transformation on the battlefield and in defence manufacturing could make it less a dependent recipient of Western military assistance and more a potential contributor to US and European security.

By Aghakazim Guliyev