Zelenskyy touts 'fruitful' Trump call after US president was 'disappointed' by Putin talk
The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defenses might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the U.S. and Ukraine, and broader U.S-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelenskyy.
"I had a very important and fruitful conversation with @POTUS," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "I congratulated President Trump and the entire American people on the US Independence Day. We - in Ukraine - are grateful for all the support provided. It helps us protect lives, safeguard our freedom and independence. We have achieved a lot together with America and we support all efforts to stop the killings and restore just, lasting, and dignified peace. A noble agreement for peace is needed."
Zelenskyy said he and Trump "discussed the current situation, including Russian airstrikes and the broader frontline developments."
"President Trump is very well informed, and I thank him for his attention to Ukraine," he continued. "We spoke about opportunities in air defense and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies. We have also agreed to a meeting between our teams. We had a detailed conversation about defense industry capabilities and joint production. We are ready for direct projects with the United States and believe this is critically important for security, especially when it comes to drones and related technologies. We also touched on mutual procurement and investment. Finally, we exchanged views on the diplomatic situation and joint work with the U.S. and other partners."
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One late Friday, Trump said he and Zelenskyy had "a very good call, I think a very strategic call."
"Well, we've been helping them, and we'll continue to help them," Trump said of the Ukrainians. "It's a pretty tough situation. We'll see what happens. I told you I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. And it just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. No good. It's not good. I was unhappy with him."
When asked if the U.S. would sell more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, Trump said, "Yeah, we might. We're looking at it."
"They need them for defense. I don't want to see people killed. They're going to need them for defense. They're amazingly effective," Trump said. "They're going to need something because they're being hit pretty hard."
Asked if he threatened Putin with sanctions personally, Trump said, "We talk about sanctions a lot, yeah."
"I would say he's not thrilled with it," Trump said. "He's been able to handle sanctions, but these are pretty biting sanctions. No, we talk about sanctions a lot. And he understands that it may be coming, and, you, know, he's a professional."
The U.S. has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles, out of concern for U.S. stockpiles following the Israel-Iran conflict. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelenskyy says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time.
Trump said he had also discussed Ukraine's request for Patriot missiles with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but they have not yet made a decision.
"No, we did talk about it, though, and he feels, you know, they have to be protected. He's a strong guy, and smart, very smart man," Trump said of Merz.
Trump had said early Friday that he was "very disappointed" by his phone call with Putin, adding: "I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad."
Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, released a summary of what he said was a nearly hour-long conversation between Trump and Russia's leader. It said Putin told Trump that Russia would "not back down from its goals" regarding the Ukraine war.
"Naturally, the issues surrounding Ukraine were also discussed. Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of ending the hostilities as soon as possible. In turn, Vladimir Putin noted that we still continued the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict," Moscow's readout said. "He also noted Russia was willing to pursue negotiations. Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals."
Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukraine. Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight Thursday into Friday in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia's stepped-up bombing campaign has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war.
Ukraine's military General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the home base of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets.
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