Presidents Trump And Zelensky Discuss Air And New Weapons Defense On Friday

President Zelensky. (President.gov..ua)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he would meet with United States President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, discussing air defenses and Ukraine's long-range attack capabilities.

President Zelensky said he had given President Trump, who has shown his frustration with Russia in recent weeks, an overview of how many Tomahawk missiles Ukraine needs.

"To be honest, I have conveyed our vision to (President) Trump. But some of these things cannot be talked about by telephone, so we will meet," he told reporters in Kyiv.

Earlier, the two leaders spoke by telephone on Saturdays and Sundays amid increasingly intensive discussions about the potential for long-range Tomahawk missiles for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is scheduled to visit Washington before Friday's meeting.

Kyiv has lobbied Washington to supply US-produced missiles, which have the capacity to reach Moscow. Ukraine says the missile will only be used on military targets.

Meanwhile, Moscow warned such a move would show serious escalation.

President Trump himself said he was considering sending missiles to Ukraine, although he also said he might discuss it with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In addition, President Zelensky said he would also meet with representatives of US energy companies to discuss Ukraine's current needs, amid what he described as a shift in Russia's tactics in attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Russian troops have recently targeted the country's gas production and power grids, with President Zelensky adding Kyiv is likely to soon be forced to start importing electricity.

Ukraine itself has also launched an attack on Russian oil refineries, leading to a shortage of gasoline.

Diplomatic efforts to end the war, which is now entering its fourth year, have stalled as Russia escalates attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities and continues to advance with increasingly large acquisitions on the battlefield.

On the other hand, Ukraine and the US are also close to reaching an important deal on drones, in which Ukraine will share drone technology with the United States. European diplomats view such agreement as an important tool to keep this volatile US president from remaining involved and supporting Ukraine.