ISTANBUL 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said Germany is ready to pay for two Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine and Norway will cover the cost for one more.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Zelenskyy emphasized a coordinated push for more weapons production, including interceptor drones, to counter Russian attacks.

“We talked about funding for the Ukrainian defense forces so that our military can feel confident,” he said. “There will be more investment in production, in particular, drones – interceptor drones and everything needed to shoot down Russian strikes.”

Zelenskyy also confirmed that after what he described as “very constructive and very positive” talks with US President Donald Trump, Ukraine had received the political green light for resumed weapons deliveries from Washington.

“We agreed on all this. Now, at the team level, we are working to ensure that everything arrives in Ukraine on time,” he said, calling the US presence at the Rome meeting – including Special Representative Keith Kellogg and Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal – “a positive signal” from Trump.

He quoted a member of the American delegation as saying: “Such representation speaks louder than a thousand words.”

Zelenskyy also mentioned discussions with partners on acquiring additional weapons packages from both Europe and the US, and confirmed Kyiv’s aim to shoot down 700 to 1,000 drones daily through a new wave of interceptor technology, pending further financial support.

Talks of a potential leaders-level meeting with Russia remain conditional on full implementation of the latest Istanbul agreements on prisoner exchanges, he added.