India, July 9 -- In a stunning geopolitical pivot on the final day of the NATO summit, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington will grant Ukraine the highly coveted licensing rights and technical expertise to manufacture advanced Patriot air defence missile systems domestically. The decision, revealed during a strikingly warm bilateral appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marks an unprecedented transfer of sensitive American military technology designed to transform Ukraine from a dependent aid recipient into an industrialised defence powerhouse.

The announcement injected a dramatic surge of momentum into the conclusion of the two-day alliance summit in the Turkish capital. For months, Kyiv had aggressivel...