President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the United States has not issued licenses for the production of Patriot air defense missiles in Europe despite promises, as reported by @NOELreports on X at approximately 8:45 PM UTC on February 17, 2026, within the 1 hour 59 minute reporting window from 6:45:38 PM to 8:45:31 PM UTC. He directed all Ukrainian diplomats and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to be as active as possible to secure air defense missile supplies. Zelensky's comments highlight ongoing Ukrainian efforts to bolster air defenses amid continued Russian attacks, including recent disruptions to the Druzhba pipeline as previously reported by the European Commission. The directive to diplomats and the Defense Minister aims to achieve concrete results in missile procurement, according to the X post (https://x.com/NOELreports/status/2023853636217172223). This statement follows earlier military developments over the past few hours, such as the 155th Mechanized Brigade's Leopard 2A4 tank engagement in Hryshyne and an F-16 shootdown of a Russian Shahed drone, as documented in prior reports from Ukrainian sources and @Drone_Wars_.
