Zelenskyy Says He Had a "Good Meeting" With Trump, Thanks Him for Emphasizing Air Defense Capabilities

▲ President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump meeting at the NATO Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy positively assessed his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on July 8 (local time) and expressed his gratitude for U.S. support for air defense systems.

President Zelenskyy, who is visiting Ankara, Türkiye, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, stated on social media after his meeting with President Trump that he had a "good meeting with President Trump and his team."

He added, "I am grateful for the emphasis on strengthening air defense capabilities to protect the lives of the Ukrainian people."

"We discussed several ways to strengthen our position and bring peace closer," he wrote, adding, "I look forward to our teams working quickly to follow up on the matters discussed."

However, he did not provide specific details on what measures were discussed.

President Zelenskyy mentioned, "We also talked about diplomatic issues," and added, "We are working to make diplomacy work properly."

It appears they discussed ways to resume peace negotiations, which had been suspended following the crisis in the Middle East, including through the summit.

President Trump announced on this day that he would allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.

"We will show them how to produce them," he said, adding, "Their weapons production capabilities are excellent."

President Zelenskyy has been requesting support from allies, citing a shortage of air defense resources capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.

Analysts suggest that the relationship between the two sides, which had repeatedly clashed, has improved as President Trump responded to President Zelenskyy's request for air defense support and President Zelenskyy responded positively.

Bloomberg reported, "If President Trump follows through on his offer to allow the production of Patriot missiles, it would be a significant achievement for President Zelenskyy," adding that it "signifies a dramatic turnaround in the relationship between the two."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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