Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he had a “very important and productive” phone call with President Donald Trump.
The two leaders discussed ways to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses, explore joint weapons production between the U.S. and Ukraine, and broader efforts led by the U.S. to end the war with Russia, as per Zelenskyy’s statement.
“I had a very important and fruitful conversation with @POTUS,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “I wished President Trump and the entire American people a happy U.S. Independence Day. We in Ukraine appreciate all the support provided, which helps us protect lives, and our freedom and independence. Together with America, we have achieved much and support all efforts to end the violence and bring about a just, lasting, and honorable peace. A noble peace agreement is essential.”
Zelenskyy said he and Trump “discussed the current situation, including Russian airstrikes and the broader frontline developments.”
The U.S. has paused some military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles, due to concerns over U.S. stockpiles following the conflict between Israel and Iran. Ukraine’s main European allies are considering how they can compensate for this. Zelenskyy mentions that there are plans to enhance Ukraine’s domestic arms industry; however, scaling up production will require time.
Trump said he had also discussed Ukraine’s request for Patriot missiles with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but they have not yet made a decision.
“No, we did talk about it, though, and he feels, you know, they have to be protected. He’s a strong guy, and smart, very smart man,” Trump said of Merz.
Trump had said early Friday that he was “very disappointed” by his phone call with Putin, adding: “I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting on the development of “new regions” annexed from Ukraine, at the Kremlin, on June 30, 2025, in Moscow. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, released a summary of what he said was a nearly hour-long conversation between Trump and Russia’s leader. It said Putin told Trump that Russia would “not back down from its goals” regarding the Ukraine war.
“Naturally, the issues surrounding Ukraine were also discussed. Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of ending the hostilities as soon as possible. In turn, Vladimir Putin noted that we still continued the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict,” Moscow’s readout said. “He also noted Russia was willing to pursue negotiations. Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals.”
Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukraine. Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight Thursday into Friday in the largest aerial assault since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia’s stepped-up bombing campaign has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war.
Ukraine’s military General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia’s Voronezh region, describing it as the home base of Russia’s Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets.
