Speaking to the Financial Times, Trump called the Patriot "a very extraordinary weapon" and said Washington needed to be selective about licensing it.
"We don't really license equipment," he said.
Ukraine has spent months pushing for more interceptors or the right to manufacture them itself, a request made more urgent as fighting in Iran has squeezed global supplies of the missiles.
Trump framed his priority as ending the war rather than arming Kyiv further.
"I'm not looking for missiles; we're looking for peace," he said.
The shift comes weeks after Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a NATO summit in Ankara on July 8 that Ukraine would be granted a license to build Patriot missiles at home.
Zelensky told broadcaster Fox News on Tuesday that Trump had reiterated that commitment during a meeting at the White House.
Trump also disclosed that envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would make their first visit to Ukraine in the coming days, a trip the Financial Times said was intended to restart diplomacy aimed at ending Russia's invasion.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP