Ukrainians were alarmed by the pause in deliveries of weapons, while Russia intensifies a summer offensive that last weekend involved its largest aerial attack of the war<\/a>. Zelenskyy said he wants to buy 10 Patriot systems for $15bn to defend against Russian drones and missiles. <\/p>\n \u201cOf course, we count on [the] continuation of American support,\u201d Zelenskyy said during a visit to Aarhus in Denmark on Thursday. He said it was \u201ccrucial\u201d that Ukraine<\/a> obtained missiles for Patriot systems, which Europe is unable to provide.<\/p>\n Trump suggested during the Nato summit that he would consider selling Patriot interceptors to Kyiv, but said supplies were low.\u00a0Defence department spokesman Sean Parnell said on Wednesday the halt in deliveries came after a \u201ccapability review\u201d conducted \u201cto ensure US military aid aligns with our defence priorities\u201d.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy said he hoped to discuss the US-Ukraine relationship with Trump soon. People familiar with the planning, who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to discuss it publicly, said the Ukrainian president would also raise potential future arms sales during the call. <\/p>\n The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the planned conversation.<\/p>\n Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for nearly an hour.<\/p>\n Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the US president had called for an end to the war, but that Putin had said Russia would pursue its goals, \u201cwhich are to settle all the well-known initial reasons that led to the current stand-off\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cRussia will not abandon these goals,\u201d Ushakov said, according to Russian state media.<\/p>\n Trump told reporters on Thursday afternoon that the two leaders did not get any closer to a deal to end the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t make any progress with him today at all,\u201d Trump said of Putin, before boarding Air Force One, adding that they did discuss \u201ca lot of things, including Iran\u201d. <\/p>\n Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha called the acting head of the embassy, John Ginkel, to the foreign ministry on Wednesday to underscore the importance of US military assistance. He said the ministry warned that \u201cany delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine\u2019s defence capabilities only encourages the aggressor to continue the war and acts of terror\u201d.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv had secured an\u00a0agreement with US company Swift Beat for Ukraine to jointly produce drones capable of intercepting Russian attack drones and missiles.<\/p>\n He said the deal \u201cforesees hundreds of thousands of drones this year alone, with the potential to significantly scale up production in the coming year\u201d.<\/p>\n European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, also in Denmark, said of the US move: \u201cIt\u2019s a clear signal, a clear message to step up our support. So ramping up our European defence capacities, not only at the level of the European Union, but a continental level.\u201d<\/p>\n In Washington, lawmakers and former diplomats criticised the Pentagon for halting weapons that had already been committed to Ukraine.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy has accepted many of Trump\u2019s proposals since the White House first suggested an unconditional ceasefire in March. The Trump administration pressured Kyiv into holding the first face-to-face negotiations with Moscow in three years by temporarily pausing weapons shipments<\/a> and intelligence sharing with Ukraine in early March. <\/p>\n Those talks have stalled over the maximalist demands of Putin, who said last month that the \u201cwhole of Ukraine\u201d was Russia\u2019s, and that his forces would continue their advance.<\/p>\n Recommended<\/p>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n