The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his phone call with US President Donald Trump was “the best and most productive” conversation they ever had. Zelensky and Trump spoke on the phone on Friday about US support for Ukraine.
In a video address, the Ukrainian president reflected on the conversation they had on Friday. “It was probably the best and most productive conversation we have had this entire time,” he said.
Zelensky says he spoke with the US president about “defense matters” and the delivery of Patriot air defense missiles. The Ukrainian president thanked Trump for his “willingness to help.”
During the phone call, both leaders discussed options for the United States to support Ukraine in defending against Russian attacks. Zelensky proposed starting a joint base for military production. The Ukrainian president also requested the delivery of Patriot missiles.
Ukraine has been seeking American Patriots for some time, which are desperately needed to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Without these systems, Kyiv is much less able to protect the Ukrainian population from such attacks, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in an analysis on Friday.
Russia not planning to stop the war
Trump is not yet willing to commit to the delivery of Patriots. But Zelensky hopes this will change if Russia continues to attack unhindered. Earlier this week, Trump acknowledged that a phone call with President Vladimir Putin had been disappointing. According to the US president, it was clear that Moscow is not seeking to end the war anytime soon.
A Kremlin spokesman said after the conversation with Trump that Russia is open to a diplomatic solution to the war, but until then, it will continue with military action to achieve its war goals.
ISW reports that Russia has recently increased the production of ballistic missiles. According to the think tank, the bombing of densely populated cities far from the front lines is a tactic by Russia to break Ukrainian morale and undermine Western support. This week, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was besieged for hours by Russian drone attacks.