US delays Patriot co-production deal with Ukraine as drone strikes hit Russian warehouses

Nexus Europa Newsroom
Posted Aug 20, 2026, 02:00 PM UTC · In the digest of 2026-08-20-1400
US delays Patriot co-production deal with Ukraine as drone strikes hit Russian warehouses
Photo: Sloboden Pečat

A bilateral US-Ukraine agreement to co-produce Patriot missiles is delayed beyond winter, as Ukrainian drone strikes target warehouse infrastructure in several Russian regions.

The United States is unlikely to conclude an agreement with Ukraine to co-produce Patriot air defence interceptor missiles before the coming winter, according to US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker. Whitaker noted that while joint Patriot production remains a long-term goal, cooperative initiatives with European partners to manufacture other air defence equipment remain active.

Concurrently, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted commercial and logistics infrastructure across several Russian regions overnight. Regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov confirmed at least five deaths and ten injuries after a strike on a warehouse complex near Moscow. Local officials also reported drone impacts on facilities operated by the online retailer Wildberries in the Tver and Saint Petersburg regions, as Russia's defence ministry reported intercepting multiple incoming drones.

Sources: MIA (Media Information Agency), SDK, Sloboden Pečat

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