Important signals from Russia: what Trump told Zelensky (video)
18 October 02:21
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Following the meeting, the Ukrainian leader held a press briefing, during which he spoke about the main topics of discussion and agreements between the two sides, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The main issues discussed by Zelenskyy and Trump were:
- Air defense systems – Ukraine is interested in strengthening its defense against unmanned aerial vehicles and missile strikes that Russia regularly carries out.
- Long-range weapons – among other things, the possibility of supplying Tomahawk missiles was discussed, but no final statements will be made on this issue yet to avoid escalation of the conflict.
- Budapest meeting between the US and Russia – Zelenskyy said that Trump shared the results of his talks with Vladimir Putin, which helps the Ukrainian side assess Russia’s signals and plans.
- Joint production of drones – the possibility of expanding cooperation in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles was discussed.
“We talked about long-range systems. I wouldn’t want to make any statements right now – we decided not to talk about it at this time. The United States would not like an escalation, so possible questions on this topic will be left unanswered,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
Regarding the supply of long-range systems, the Ukrainian president noted:
“We have decided not to make any official statements at this time. The United States does not want escalation, so questions remain unanswered at this point.”
He also noted that Trump told him the content of his conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin the day before.
“We also talked about Budapest, and the president shared with me his dialog with the Russian side. We understand all the signals from the Russian side, they are not new. We are counting on President Trump’s pressure to end this war,” Zelenskyy said.
Trump and Zelenskyy also discussed joint production of drones.
After the talks at the White House , Zelenskyy held a group phone call with European leaders to coordinate positions on security and support for Ukraine in the context of the ongoing war.
The meeting with Trump lasted over two hours, much longer than originally planned. In addition to the President of Ukraine, the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, and Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, were involved in the talks.
