President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had spoken with US President Donald Trump for the second time in recent days and was working with the American side in detail to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence and other defence capabilities, primarily Patriot systems, as well as to increase long-range capabilities.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine sees that Russia is ‘afraid’ that the US may provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles and considers this a sign of effective pressure for peace. The leaders agreed that their teams and military would work on the issues discussed, in particular regarding energy and gas. The President thanked them for their support and expressed his expectations for the outcome.
Zelenskyy also held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. The key topics were strengthening air defence, Ukraine’s resilience and coordination of diplomatic steps in the coming weeks. The parties agreed that the Ukrainian military would convey its priority needs to Paris and that supplies would be expedited.
The president also addressed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: Ukraine remains ready to repair the power lines and guarantee the safety of the plant under Ukrainian control. He called for a clearer position from the IAEA and stressed that Russia must stop shelling so that repair crews can work. According to him, the ZNPP is experiencing its longest blackout ever — the plant has been running on diesel generators for almost three weeks. ‘This should not be the case,’ Zelensky concluded.