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Zelensky hails 'long and substantive' meeting with Trump at NATO summit

25.06.2025 22:30
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed a "long and substantive" meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of a NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday, saying they talked about achieving a ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.Photo: EPA/UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

"I had a good meeting with US President Donald Trump," Zelensky said on X. "We covered all the truly important issues ... We discussed how to achieve a ceasefire and a real peace. We spoke about how to protect our people."

He wrote in a separate post that he and Trump discussed "the purchase of American air defense systems" to shield Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Zelensky said Ukraine was "ready to buy this equipment and support American weapons manufacturers" with the help of Europe.

"We also discussed the potential for co-production of drones ... and talked about the situation on the battlefield," where "Putin is definitely not winning," Zelensky wrote.

He said he presented Trump with "the facts about what is really happening on the ground" and expressed gratitude for the US president's "truly kind words" about the Ukrainian people.

"We will keep working," he declared.

Trump said on Wednesday that he was planning to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin soon about ending the war in Ukraine.

He told a news conference after attending the annual NATO summit that "it's possible" that Putin's territorial ambitions extend beyond Ukraine, Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported.

At the same time, it said Trump believes Russia would like to pull out of the war in Ukraine.

Putin "really has to end that war," Trump said, as cited by the Reuters news agency.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II.

Wednesday is day 1,218 of Russia's war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, Ukrinform