Trump, Zelenskyy discuss weapons and escalating Russian strikes
He added in a message on Telegram that he discussed joint defence production, as well as joint purchases and investments with the US leader.
Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes.
A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia's airstrikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap.
One source briefed on the call told Reuters they were optimistic that supplies of Patriot missiles could resume after what they called a "very good" conversation between the presidents.
US outlet Axios reported, citing unnamed sources, that the call lasted around 40 minutes, and that Trump told Zelenskyy he would check what US weapons due to be sent to Ukraine, if any, had been put on hold.
Zelenskyy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said he and Trump had agreed to "arrange a meeting between our teams to strengthen air defences.
"We had a very detailed discussion on joint production. We need it, America needs it."
The conversation came a day after Trump said he had a disappointing call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war across the capital, hours after Trump's conversation with Putin on Thursday.
Zelenskyy called the attack "deliberately massive and cynical."
Trump spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, according to Spiegel magazine, citing government sources. The two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, including strengthening its air defences, as well as trade issues, Spiegel reported on Friday.
Kyiv had previously received Patriot batteries and ammunition from the US in the form of aid under President Joe Biden.
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AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Trump, Zelenskiy discuss weapons and escalating Russian strikes, World News
KYIV/WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he discussed air defences in a conversation with US President Donald Trump on Friday (July 4), and agreed to work on increasing Kyiv's capability to "defend the sky" as Russian attacks escalate. He added in a message on Telegram that he discussed joint defence production, as well as joint purchases and investments with the US leader. Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes. A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia's airstrikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap. One source briefed on the call told Reuters they were optimistic that supplies of Patriot missiles could resume after what they called a "very good" conversation between the presidents. US outlet Axios reported, citing unnamed sources, that the call lasted around 40 minutes, and that Trump told Zelenskiy he would check what US weapons due to be sent to Ukraine, if any, had been put on hold. Zelenskiy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said he and Trump had agreed to "arrange a meeting between our teams to strengthen air defences. "We had a very detailed discussion on joint production. We need it, America needs it." The conversation came a day after Trump said he had a disappointing call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war across the capital, hours after Trump's conversation with Putin on Thursday. Zelenskiy called the attack "deliberately massive and cynical." Trump spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, according to Spiegel magazine, citing government sources. The two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, including strengthening its air defences, as well as trade issues, Spiegel reported on Friday. Kyiv had previously received Patriot batteries and ammunition from the US in the form of aid under President Joe Biden. Trump criticised him for sending weapons to Ukraine without getting anything in return, and since taking office has overseen a dramatic shake-up of relations with Kyiv. ALSO READ: Russia pounds Kyiv with largest drone attack, hours after Trump-Putin call
AsiaOne
an hour ago
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Russia pounds Kyiv with largest drone attack, hours after Trump-Putin call, World News
KYIV — Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war, killing one person, injuring at least 23 and damaging buildings across the capital hours after US President Donald Trump spoke to Russia's Vladimir Putin, officials said on Friday (July 4). Air raid sirens, the whine of kamikaze drones and booming detonations reverberated from early evening until dawn as Russia launched what Ukraine's Air Force said was a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles. Families huddled in underground metro stations for shelter and acrid smoke hung over the city centre. Kyiv's military administration chief said on Friday afternoon a body had been found in the wreckage of one of the strike sites. Outside a high-rise apartment block damaged by a drone, residents stood around surveying the scene as the clean-up job began. Some cried. Others looked on silently. "I woke up to the sound of explosions, first the Shahed drones started buzzing, and then the explosions began," said 40-year-old resident Maria Hilchenko. "Then people started screaming outside. The explosions from the Shaheds kept coming." Shahed drones are an Iranian design, a variant of which is now manufactured in Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the attack "deliberately massive and cynical", noting the first sirens blared as news came in of Putin and Trump's call. Later on Friday Zelenskiy spoke to Trump and the pair agreed to work on increasing Kyiv's capability to "defend the sky". He added they discussed joint defence production, as well as joint purchases and investments. The US has paused some deliveries of missiles amid concerns about low stockpiles. Kyiv officials said the attack damaged about 40 apartment blocks, passenger railway infrastructure, five schools and kindergartens, cafes and many cars in six of Kyiv's 10 districts. Poland said the consular section of its embassy was damaged in central Kyiv, adding that staff were unharmed. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a Chinese component had been found in one of the Shahed drones attacking Kyiv, adding it had been found shortly after China's consulate in the southern city of Odesa suffered minor damage in a separate strike. "What an irony," Sybiha wrote on X. Russian airstrikes on Kyiv have intensified in recent weeks and included some of the deadliest assaults of the war on the city of three million people. Russia's Defence Ministry said drone factories, a military airfield and an oil refinery were among targets it struck in Kyiv with what it called high-precision weapons. Ukraine did not give details of any militarily valuable targets. [[nid:719841]] Call for sanctions Trump said that the call with President Putin on Thursday resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war, and the Kremlin reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict's "root causes". The decision by Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying airstrikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap. On Friday, Zelenskiy called for increased pressure on Moscow to change its "dumb, destructive behaviour". "For every such strike against people and human life, they must feel appropriate sanctions and other blows to their economy, their revenues, and their infrastructure," he said. Ukraine's Air Force said it destroyed 478 of the air weapons Russia launched overnight. Airstrikes were recorded in eight locations, with nine missiles and 63 drones, it added. Social media videos showed people running to seek shelter, firefighters fighting blazes in the dark and ruined buildings with windows and facades blown out. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched with its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. Many more soldiers are believed to have been killed on the front line, but neither side releases military casualty figures. Late on Thursday, Russian shelling killed five people in and near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, Ukraine said. ALSO READ: Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including 2 near St Petersburg
CNA
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Bombers and a 'beautiful Bill': Trump celebrates US Independence Day
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed his flagship tax and spending Bill into law on Friday (Jul 4), capping a grandiose White House Independence Day ceremony featuring a stealth bomber fly-by. "America is winning, winning, winning like never before," Trump said before signing the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill", while flanked by Republican lawmakers who helped push it through Congress. Trump also played down criticism by Democrats that the unpopular legislation will slash social welfare programmes, saying: "You won't even notice it." With First Lady Melania Trump at his side, Trump watched from the White House balcony as two B-2 bombers - the same type that recently struck Iranian nuclear sites - roared overhead, accompanied by F-35 and F-22 fighter jets. The 79-year-old's victory lap came a day after Republicans fell into line and passed the sprawling mega-Bill, allowing him to sign it as he had hoped on the Fourth of July holiday. The Bill honors many of Trump's campaign promises: Extending tax cuts from his first term, boosting military spending and providing massive new funding for Trump's migrant deportation drive. "NEVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT" The legislation's signing caps two weeks of significant wins for Trump that have seen him tighten his grip on power and his party alike. The successes include the recent Iran-Israel ceasefire that was sealed after what he called the "flawless" US air strikes on Iran. Pilots who carried out the bombing on Iran were among those invited to the White House event, which included a picnic for military families on the South Lawn. "The last two weeks, there has never been anything like it, as far as winning," said Trump. Trump had however forced through the tax Bill despite deep misgivings in the Republican Party that it would balloon the national debt. The legislation is expected to pile an extra US$3.4 trillion over a decade onto the US deficit. It squeezed past a final vote in the House of Representatives 218-214 after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson worked through the night to corral the final group of dissenters. Trump thanked Johnson at the White House event, saying: "What a job." "HORRIBLE DAY" Trump's billionaire former ally Elon Musk was among the most vocal critics, and he has pledged to set up a new political party to oppose Republicans who backed the Bill. Democrats and many US voters have meanwhile expressed concerns that the "big beautiful Bill" will gut health and welfare support. The Bill will force through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance programme for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch, while also shrinking federal food assistance programmes. Up to 17 million people could lose their insurance coverage under the Bill, according to some estimates. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close as a result. But Trump played down the concerns. "They've developed a standard line, and we can't let them get away with it. 'Oh, it's dangerous. Oh, everybody's going to die.' It's actually just the opposite," said Trump. Democrats hope public opposition to the Bill will help them flip the US House in the 2026 mid-term election, pointing to data showing that it represents a huge redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest. People attending the Fourth of July parade in Washington on Saturday had mixed feelings.
