Burc Eruygur
12 October 2025•Update: 12 October 2025
ISTANBUL
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, they discussed strengthening Kyiv’s air defense and long-range capabilities.
The call was the second this weekend between the two, with Zelenskyy saying that he had a “very positive and productive” Saturday conversation with his counterpart and congratulated him on securing a ceasefire deal for Gaza.
On US social media company X, Zelenskyy said their second call was also “very productive,” using a set of topics they agreed on in the first call to discuss Sunday.
He said they covered all aspects of the situation in Ukraine, including strengthening Kyiv’s military capabilities, particularly air defense and long-range capabilities.
“We also discussed many details related to the energy sector. President Trump is well informed about everything that is happening. We agreed to continue our dialogue, and our teams are doing their preparations,” Zelenskyy added.
The call comes just days after Zelenskyy declared a Ukrainian delegation – including Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, and Sanctions Policy Commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk – would travel to the US this week.
Topics during their visit will “include air defense, energy, and sanctions steps, as well as the negotation track. The issue of frozen assets will also be discussed with the U.S.,” Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
Last Monday, Trump said he was close to deciding whether to send long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv, adding that he wants to “find out what they're doing with them, where they're sending them.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced concern over the US sending Ukraine Tomahawks, arguing that this would “destroy” U.S.-Russian ties and lead to a “completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation."
