Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States today (Tuesday) for crucial talks with President Donald Trump at the White House. Zelenskyy hopes to secure commitments to strengthen Kyiv’s missile defense systems against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the conflict between the U.S. and Israel against Iran. His visit comes at a critical stage in the fighting, as Moscow reported a massive drone attack.
1+Zelenskyy is expected to press Trump for a license to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles, which Trump voiced support for earlier this month. Patriot missiles top Zelenskyy’s request list, but their supply is limited due to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Over the weekend, the war in Ukraine appeared to overlap with the conflict between the U.S. and Israel against Iran, when Ukrainian forces attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea. Kyiv described Iran as “a direct partner in Russian aggression against Ukraine.” Zelenskyy even claimed that Ukrainian intelligence has evidence that Russia shared satellite imagery with Tehran, enabling Iran to attack American military installations and Gulf states.
1+President Donald Trump responded to the claims, saying he would “check if it’s true” and ask Putin about it, but added that if so, it has no impact. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that more than 390 Ukrainian drones targeted the area between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, and that most were intercepted by air defense systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told members of the Russian parliament, the Duma, on Monday that his country’s enemies are using “terrorist methods” against civilians but will “never break” the Russian people. Putin declared that Russia will achieve its goals and do everything for victory. Over the weekend, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a Russian ally, called for freezing the conflict and returning to “Istanbul Formula 2.0” for peace talks.