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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday discussed Ukraine’s air defence needs in the face of escalating Russian strikes, in a call that appeared to mark a further warming of relations.
The call followed a record Russian air attack on Ukraine overnight that began shortly after a tense call on Thursday between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed the current wartime situation, “including Russian air strikes and the broader frontline developments” following what Ukraine’s air force said was the largest aerial assault since Russia began its full-scale invasion.
A record 539 Iran-designed drones as well as 11 cruise and ballistic missiles were used in an attack that primarily targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Russia has stepped up its bombardments in recent days, launching its previous largest aerial assault last weekend.
At the same time Moscow’s troops are advancing on the eastern battlefields at their fastest pace since November, threatening several key Ukrainian strongholds in the area.
Zelenskyy said he spoke with Trump “about opportunities in air defence” and they agreed to “work together to strengthen protection of our skies”.
The Ukraine president has repeatedly said he is willing to purchase Patriot air defence batteries, interceptors and other weapons for his country.
A person with knowledge of the call with Trump said Zelenskyy had once again brought up the issue, adding that the US president had shown interest in potential arms sales to Kyiv and said he wanted to help with air defences.
Zelenskyy also spoke to Trump about joint defence projects, including the production of drone and related military technologies. The Ukrainian leader described the conversation with Trump as “very important and fruitful” and said that he was “very well informed” about the situation in Ukraine.
He said the two had agreed to a meeting between their teams, but did not give further details.
Their conversation followed Trump’s phone call with Putin on Thursday, which the US president said had not gone well. The two leaders were no closer to striking a deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump told reporters.
“I didn’t make any progress with him today at all,” Trump said of Putin, adding that they did discuss “a lot of things, including Iran”.
Zelenskyy underscored the importance of US military aid to Ukraine and said his war-torn country was grateful. The US has allocated about $175bn in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. About $67bn has been provided for military support, including weapons, training and intelligence.
“It helps us protect lives, safeguard our freedom and independence,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s need for more air defence systems and interceptors has been apparent in recent weeks, with Russia escalating its air campaign.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said this week that Russia’s army had in June launched more than 330 missiles, including almost 80 ballistic missiles, as well as 5,000 combat drones and 5,000 gliding bombs.
Officials in Kyiv said the aerial bombardments were meant to sow terror and destroy critical infrastructure, while forcing Ukraine to burn through limited air defences.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon abruptly halted some key weapons shipments to Kyiv, including Patriot missiles needed to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles.
The pause in arms already committed to Ukraine caught officials there and many in Washington off guard. Kyiv summoned a top diplomat to the foreign ministry over the matter, as some of the weapons sat in crates in Poland.
Similar pauses in February and May were followed by a resumption of deliveries days later. The US also briefly stopped intelligence sharing with Kyiv in March.
With the Trump administration is growing more sceptical of sending aid to Ukraine, the country’s European allies have sought to buy weapons for Kyiv. Germany is engaging in “intensive efforts” to procure Patriots from the US on behalf of Ukraine, a government spokesman said on Friday.
The nation’s chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has vowed to be a staunch supporter of Kyiv, also spoke by phone with Trump on Thursday as part of this effort, according to a person familiar with the situation.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius plans to travel to Washington later this month to lobby his counterpart Pete Hegseth on the issue.
Germany, the second largest supplier of military support to Ukraine after the US since the full-scale invasion, has sent three Patriot systems to Kyiv from its own stocks.
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