Americas, Russia-Ukraine War

Zelenskyy in Washington seeks air defense, energy support ahead of meeting with Trump

'As Russia is betting on terror against our energy sector and carrying out daily strikes, we are working to ensure Ukraine’s resilience,' says Ukrainian president

Diyar Guldogan  | 17.10.2025 - Update : 17.10.2025
Zelenskyy in Washington seeks air defense, energy support ahead of meeting with Trump

WASHINGTON

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Thursday in Washington for high-stakes talks with defense and energy industry leaders as he prepares for a meeting with President Donald Trump.

"Today, I am having meetings with representatives of defense companies – producers of powerful weapons that can definitely strengthen our protection," Zelenskyy said on the US social media company X’s platform.

He said they will discuss additional supplies of air defense systems and added he will also meet with representatives of American energy companies.

"Now, as Russia is betting on terror against our energy sector and carrying out daily strikes, we are working to ensure Ukraine’s resilience," he added.

Trump will host Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.

"We expect that the momentum of curbing terror and war that succeeded in the Middle East will help to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Putin is certainly no braver than Hamas or any other terrorist," he said.

Earlier, Trump held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and agreed to meet with him in Hungary to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine after high-level delegations meet next week.

According to the Kremlin, during the phone call, Putin told Trump that potential long-range Tomahawk cruise missile deliveries to Ukraine will damage ties between Moscow and Washington.

"We can already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks. There must be no alternative but peace and reliably guaranteed security – and it is crucial to protect people from Russian strikes and assaults as soon as possible," Zelenskyy said.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he told Putin he might give "a couple of thousand Tomahawks" to Ukraine and that his Russian counterpart "didn’t like the idea."

"Tomahawk is a vicious weapon. It's a vicious, offensive, incredibly destructive weapon. Nobody wants tomahawks shot at them," Trump said.

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