Elena Teslova
29 July 2026•Update: 29 July 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron and briefed him on his meetings in the US.
"On the way from Washington, I had a conversation with President Macron. I informed Emmanuel about the details of the meetings at the White House and the US Senate," Zelenskyy said, adding that the two leaders coordinated possible next steps.
He said they also discussed preparations for winter, including additional air defense equipment and energy support for Ukraine, and that France would work to identify ways to assist Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said he offered Ukraine's assistance in combating large wildfires in France, saying Ukrainian specialists were ready to help.
Separately, speaking in an interview with Axios media outlet, Zelenskyy said he expected US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv within the next two weeks to discuss reviving peace negotiations and to assess the situation on the ground.
He said he remained interested in resuming talks with Russia but did not believe President Vladimir Putin was prepared to halt the fighting.
Zelenskyy claimed Russia was preparing for further escalation, including infrastructure for additional North Korean troops and a possible mobilization of up to 500,000 more Russian personnel.
On Tuesday, deputy head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev rejected rumors about additional mobilization.
Russian authorities have also repeatedly dismissed Ukrainian accusations regarding its military plans and says it remains open to negotiations provided its security concerns are addressed.
Separately, Zelenskyy said he and Trump had agreed to move forward with plans to license production of Patriot air defense interceptors in Ukraine, while Kyiv pressed Washington for additional supplies to protect its energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
Zelenskyy said he asked Trump for an emergency "winter package" of Patriot interceptor missiles, warning that Ukraine's existing stockpiles were nearly exhausted.
"We need the Patriots yesterday," Zelenskyy stressed, saying Ukraine hoped to obtain about 300 interceptors before winter.
According to Axios, Trump said he would try to help but cautioned that US supplies were under pressure because of demand linked to the conflict involving Iran.
Zelenskyy said he also met representatives of US defense companies Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies, to discuss the domestic Patriot production.
The Ukrainian president said domestic production would take time and that Ukrainian and US companies were also exploring whether Ukrainian-made ballistic missiles could be adapted into interceptor missiles with capabilities similar to the Patriot system.
