Zelensky praises 'good meeting' with Trump to confront Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, noting that they discussed licenses for the production of Patriot air defense missiles.
Zelenskyy wrote on social media platforms, “A good meeting with President Trump,” adding, “The President and I discussed licenses for the production of Patriot interceptor missiles and other ideas that could help” in countering Russian attacks.
He continued, “We also spoke about diplomacy, and it is important to reactivate the diplomatic track,” thanking Trump and the United States for the support provided to Kyiv.
The first months of Trump’s current term saw several clashes with Zelenskyy, but their relations have improved in recent months as Ukraine achieved greater successes in the war, including increased attacks on the Russian oil sector.
Following the meeting at the White House, Zelenskyy headed to the Capitol building to hold a meeting with all 100 members of the Senate.
Zelenskyy’s visit comes at a time when a Pentagon letter to lawmakers indicated that the Trump administration informed Congress it would not finish spending the approved $400 million for aid to Ukraine until fiscal year 2029, even as Kyiv faces a severe shortage of weapons needed to repel Russian missile attacks.
Democratic politicians and some Republican colleagues of Trump criticized the Pentagon for delaying the delivery of aid to Kyiv, which had been supported by members of both parties last year.
In Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in a statement that its “Center” group forces had gained full control of the town of Krasnyi Kut in the Donetsk region, inflicting heavy losses on Ukrainian forces across all battlefronts.
In a second statement, it said its forces targeted two Ukrainian ships: one was a cargo vessel carrying a military shipment in the Black Sea, and the other was a ship in the port of Mykolaiv.
It added, “Infrastructure facilities at the loading and unloading complex in Mykolaiv port, used for delivering and storing military shipments, as well as fuel and lubricant tanks intended to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were targeted in attacks using munitions and combat drones.”
It confirmed that, “Additionally, drones targeted a cargo ship in the strait (11 kilometers east of Odesa) that was transporting military shipments to the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk.”
Moscow and Kyiv have intensified their military operations in the Black Sea, its surrounding waters, and the Sea of Azov in recent weeks. Each side has launched attacks on dozens of ships, including oil tankers and cargo vessels.
