Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he spoke to President Trump about his country’s air defenses against the Russian invasion and ways to restart the diplomatic process to wind down the war.
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Mr. Zelenskyy met with Mr. Trump behind closed doors at the White House but later recapped the meeting.
“The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help,” Mr. Zelenskyy said on social media. “We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication. I am grateful to the United States for its firm support.”
Mr. Trump is pushing hard to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, which started with Moscow’s unprovoked invasion in February 2022.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump said he would give Ukraine the right to manufacture its own Patriot missiles through a U.S. license for Raytheon technology.
Ramping up production could take months, however, so Mr. Zelenskyy is trying to address urgent needs to resist Russian attacks.
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“Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer,” Mr. Zelenskyy said upon arriving in the U.S.
Notably, the conflict in Ukraine and war in Iran are becoming intertwined. Ukrainian forces struck an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, alleging it was carrying material aid to Russian forces.
Iran reacted furiously, saying the attack was unfounded and unlawful.
Mr. Zelenskyy met with Mr. Trump on Tuesday ahead of the U.S. leader’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. All three leaders will be paying their respects to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and staunch supporter of Ukraine and Israel.
A group of senators announced a bipartisan agreement on Tuesday to move forward on major legislation that would impose sanctions against Russia and persons supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions would target Russian officials, oligarchs and their family members, foreign persons and Russian banks, among others.
The legislation is named after Mr. Graham.
“We are proud to announce an agreement on legislation to stop purchasers of Russian oil and gas from fueling Putin’s war machine and to continue restricting the Iranian regime’s ability to support terrorism and build its nuclear program,” the senators said. “There is no greater way to honor Senator Graham’s legacy than to move forward with this bipartisan agreement, and we look forward to today’s vote.”
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