Summit Held at NATO Meeting... Additional Support for Ukraine Discussed
Zelensky: "Discussed Purchase of U.S. Air Defense Systems"
Trump: "Zelensky Is Fighting a Brave Fight"
To Reluctant Putin on Peace Talks: "End the War"
On June 25 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would consider providing additional Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine. This move is interpreted as an attempt to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been lukewarm about ceasefire negotiations.
President Trump made this statement during a press conference following a roughly 50-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in The Hague, Netherlands, where the NATO summit was held that day.
He said, "Patriot is a very difficult weapon to obtain," and added, "We will review whether we can provide some."
President Zelensky stated after his meeting with President Trump that he discussed the purchase of U.S. air defense systems.
Through the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), he said, "Ukraine is ready to purchase this (U.S. air defense system) equipment and support American weapons manufacturers." He added, "We also discussed the possibility of joint drone production."
President Zelensky has repeatedly requested that the U.S. provide additional practical support through further weapons purchases and impose additional sanctions on Russia, especially as the U.S. has reduced its support for Ukraine.
The meeting between the two leaders took place as the war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, entered its fourth year. Although President Trump has declared that he would end the war immediately upon taking office, ceasefire negotiations remain stalled due to Russia's passive response.
President Trump's public mention of the possibility of providing weapons to Ukraine that day is seen as a move to pressure President Putin, who has been unenthusiastic about ending the war.
After the meeting, President Trump said, "It was a good meeting. He is fighting a brave fight," in reference to President Zelensky. In contrast, he criticized President Putin, saying, "Vladimir Putin must end the war. People are dying in huge numbers, and we are witnessing scenes we have not seen in a long time." He also revealed that when President Putin recently proposed to mediate the conflict between Israel and Iran, he responded, "No, please help with the Russia issue instead."
The Financial Times (FT) of the United Kingdom reported, "Trump has become increasingly frustrated in recent weeks by Putin's excessive demands and refusal to agree to a ceasefire," and added, "Trump is taking a tough stance against Russia."
Meanwhile, President Zelensky, who was previously criticized for not wearing a suit during the summit at the White House in February, wore a more formal black suit for the meeting that day.
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