Zelenskyy meets Trump at Nato; discusses air defence, drone cooperation

US President Donald Trump met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (Nato) summit on Wednesday (local time) in The Hague.

 

Taking to X, Zelenskyy in a post, stated that he had a good meeting with Trump and he also congratulated the latter for a successful operation in West Asia, referring to the recent US strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities. He added, “It is important that the US actions have weakened not only their nuclear programme but also their drone production capabilities. We will continue to keep an eye on the situation.”

 

 

Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump was their first meeting face-to-face since April, when they met at St Peter’s Basilica during Pope Francis’ funeral. Trump also had a major confrontation with Zelenskyy earlier this year at the White House, Associated Press reported.

 

Sharing further details of his meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy, in his post, added, “We discussed the protection of our people with the President — first and foremost, the purchase of American air defense systems to shield our cities, our people, churches, and infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to buy this equipment and support American weapons manufacturers. Europe can help. We also discussed the potential for the co-production of drones. We can strengthen each other.”

 

The Ukrainian leader also informed Trump about the situation on the battlefield, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin is definitely not winning. He also shared details regarding a meeting in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine.

 

Earlier on Tuesday (local time), Trump, aboard an Air Force One, informed reporters that he denied Putin’s offer to help in the Iran deal, adding that he told Putin that he instead needed help with the Ukraine war, which is now in its fourth year.

 

Ukraine, which is not a member of the Nato alliance, has been front and center at recent alliance summits. Even though Zelenskyy spent most of his time in The Hague shifting from meeting to meeting, he was not a part of the alliance’s latest annual meeting. 

The Trump administration has blocked Zelenskyy’s bid to join Nato. This comes at a time when the efforts of the Trump administration have failed to achieve a deal between Zelenskyy and Putin, a claim that Trump made in his campaigning days, vowing to solve the conflict within 24 hours of taking office.

 

President Trump Participates in a Press Conference, June 25, 2025 https://t.co/1QT91wVrHe

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 25, 2025

Russia-Ukraine conflict continues 

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine resumed in May after a gap of more than three years. The face-to-face talks were first held in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, which led to a series of prisoner exchanges. However, no deal has been brokered so far, with Russia resuming its attack and carrying out some of its heaviest air attacks of the war, and Ukraine mounting surprise drone strikes on airfields. 

Moscow’s missile strikes in southeastern Ukraine claimed 17 lives in the city of Dnipro and left over 200 people injured on Tuesday (local time), causing widespread damage to buildings and key infrastructure.