France to grant Ukraine licences to produce Aster missiles, Macron announces

What happened

French President Emmanuel Macron announced at a joint press event on 13 July with leaders of Ukraine, the UK and Germany that France will grant Ukraine licences to produce French Aster missiles, which are used in the SAMP/T air defence system co-developed by France and Italy. Macron noted this follows a prior US decision to license production of Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure or battlefield claim should be read as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source. Macron stated that a bilateral cooperation roadmap was approved with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, covering air defence goals including Ukraine’s acquisition of its first batch of next-generation SAMP/T missile batteries. These systems are intended to complement missiles and systems scheduled for delivery in the coming weeks.

President Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Macron for the decision, describing the licensing authorisations for Aster and SCALP missiles as major progress that will significantly aid Ukraine’s defence capabilities. Zelenskyy also referenced the political agreement with the US on a Patriot missile production licence, with technical implementation expected to proceed promptly.

Known from the source

• France will authorise Ukraine to produce Aster missiles under licence, as announced by French President Emmanuel Macron on 13 July.
• Aster missiles are used in the SAMP/T air defence system developed jointly by France and Italy.
• Ukraine and France have approved a roadmap covering bilateral cooperation on air defence, including delivery of SAMP/T missile batteries.
• US President Donald Trump announced on 8 July a licence to allow Ukrainian production of Patriot interceptor missiles.
• Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy welcomed the licences for Aster and SCALP missiles and referred to progress made with the US on Patriot missile production licences.

What remains unclear

Reuters reporting adds that the licensed production of US-supplied Patriot missiles for Ukraine is likely to be established in a European country, with Germany reportedly under consideration, though no official confirmation of the production location was provided in the supplied source.

What remains unclear: Detail and timeline of licence agreements for Aster and SCALP missile production in Ukraine. Verification of Ukraine’s timeline to acquire SAMP/T missile batteries and the scale of deliveries. Confirmation of which European country will host Patriot missile production for Ukraine, as suggested by Reuters. Ensure all claims about missile production and deliveries are clearly attributed to Macron, Zelenskyy, or Reuters where appropriate.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: Ukrainska Pravda English. Open the source.