Zelenskyy says Trump agreed to increase pressure on Russia to end Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that US President Donald Trump agreed to increase economic pressure on Moscow to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

In opening statements during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, Zelenskyy highlighted the importance of the meeting after a Group of Seven (G7) summit in France.

“We had good meetings and talks with all the leaders, including President Trump. The President of the United States has been very clear about increasing pressure on Russia to end this terrible war,” said Zelenskyy.

Expressing that all G7 leaders agreed on the need to increase pressure against Moscow, Zelenskyy said they have the tools and are strong enough to put Russia “on a path where diplomacy becomes the only choice.”

Zelenskyy said that while Russia possesses ballistic missiles, Ukraine needs anti-ballistic capabilities and has done a lot to protect itself from drones.

“Our interception rate (for drones) is about 90% -- that is a very serious achievement. We are also defending against cruise missiles, but Russian ballistic missiles remain a problem, and we need an answer to that problem," he said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Germany are taking very important steps, and the coalition of countries united around the anti-ballistic missile program “must demonstrate full capability and deliver real results."

“Better this year. By this winter, we should already see concrete outcomes from our joint work on anti-ballistic defense. This is something we all need, not only Ukraine. And it is a long-term effort,” he said.

Zelenskyy also urged countries that have joined the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List program not to wait for the NATO summit in Ankara to announce their contributions, because timely funded missiles save the lives of Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian president held a call with Trump late Wednesday and a face-to-face meeting with his US counterpart at the G7 summit.