In a press conference on the last day of the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, Trump said that as European nations rebuild their militaries, American equipment will be the “largest beneficiary”, claiming US$3 billion of new defence investment between European and US defence contractors.

This included a planned Lockheed Martin “world-class” Patriot missile maintenance facility, which Trump described as a “big deal”, although he did not reveal where in Europe this would be.

“It all goes to the benefit of Europe and us, because they’re getting the best equipment,” said Trump.

Trump’s remarks followed his earlier-in-the-day claim that Washington would grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles, made during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the summit’s sidelines.

It came after Zelensky’s repeated calls for the US-made interceptors, as the increased use of drones and missiles in modern warfare has highlighted the significance of air defence, especially in the war in Ukraine, which has seen Kyiv and Moscow exchanging drone attacks on each other’s territories.