Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed strengthening his country’s air defences with US counterpart Donald Trump on Friday, after Russia launched its biggest drone attack on Kyiv and a call between the US and Russian leaders failed to make any breakthrough in efforts to end the war.
“We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies. We have also agreed to a meeting between our teams,” Mr Zelenskiy said, describing Mr Trump as “very well informed” and the call as “important and fruitful”.
“We had a detailed conversation about defence industry capabilities and joint production [of weaponry],” Mr Zelenskiy said, while thanking the US for military aid that “helps us protect lives [and] 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,” he added.
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There was no immediate comment from Mr Trump, a day after he acknowledged making no progress towards persuading Russian president Vladimir Putin to end a war that he had claimed to be able to end in one day while campaigning for re-election.
“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there … I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad,” Mr Trump said. “I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
Mr Trump also played down a decision to pause delivery of air defence rockets and some other armaments to Kyiv and accused his predecessor, Joe Biden, of dangerously depleting US stockpiles.
“We’re giving weapons … and we’re working with them and trying to help them,” he said. “But … Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons. And we have to make sure we have enough for ourselves.”
Just hours after the call between the US and Russian presidents, Moscow’s military launched its biggest drone attack on Kyiv since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The bombardment of Kyiv lasted all night and killed at least one person and injured more than 20. Residential districts across the city were damaged and smoke veiled the dawn sky when the attack finally ended and air-raid sirens fell silent. Ukraine said Moscow launched 539 drones and 11 missiles at various areas of the country, about 480 of which were intercepted by air defence fire or electronic jamming.
“Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” Mr Zelenskiy said. “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 … And it depends on our partners, primarily the United States.”
Senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov claimed after the call with Mr Trump that Mr Putin “continues to seek a political negotiated solution to the conflict”.
“Our president said that Russia will pursue its goals, specifically addressing the root causes that led to the current situation, and will not back down from these objectives,” he added.
Mr Putin insists that no peace is possible until Ukraine agrees never to join Nato and accepts the permanent Russian occupation of five of its regions: Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Kyiv still controls large parts of three of those provinces.
“I have said many times that I consider the Russian and Ukrainian peoples to be one people. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours,” Mr Putin said last month. “We have an old rule. Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot is ours.”
