rki.news | Sources: Anadolu
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday briefed French President Emmanuel Macron by telephone on his recent meetings in the United States, including discussions at the White House and US Senate.
Zelenskyy said the two leaders coordinated next steps and discussed winter preparations, including additional air defense systems and energy support for Ukraine. He added that France would explore ways to assist Kyiv and offered Ukraine’s support in fighting major wildfires in France.
Separately, Zelenskyy said US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to visit Kyiv in coming weeks for talks aimed at reviving peace negotiations and assessing the situation on the ground.
He said Ukraine remains interested in restarting talks with Russia but claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin was not ready to end the conflict. Zelenskyy also accused Russia of preparing further escalation, while Russian officials rejected such claims and said Moscow remains open to negotiations based on its security concerns.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump agreed to advance plans for licensed production of Patriot air defense interceptors in Ukraine. He urged Washington to provide an emergency winter package of interceptor missiles, saying Kyiv needs around 300 interceptors before winter.
He added that Ukraine held discussions with US defense companies including Lockheed Martin and RTX on Patriot production, while exploring future cooperation on advanced air defense capabilities.