Zelensky, Trump hold talks on NATO summit sidelines
Editor’s note: This story is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his U.S. President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 25.
The meeting lasted approximately 50 minutes, according to Suspilne. In a post on X, Zelensky described the conversation as “long and substantive."
“We covered all the truly important issues,” he wrote. “We discussed how to achieve a ceasefire and a real peace. We spoke about how to protect our people. We appreciate the attention and the readiness to help bring peace closer."
No further details have been announced.
The two leaders were expected to discuss Ukraine’s planned purchase of a new defense package, including air defense systems, as well as additional sanctions on Russia and an international price cap on Russian oil.
Speaking at a briefing earlier in the day, Trump was asked what he would be discussing during the meeting with Zelensky.
“Obviously we’ll be discussing his difficulties, he’s got a little difficulty,” the U.S. president replied without elaborating on what he meant.
The NATO summit convenes at a time when U.S. support for Kyiv is waning, and just a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared “all of Ukraine is ours."
This is the first meeting between the two leaders since April, when they spoke briefly on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral in Rome.
A planned discussion at the G7 summit earlier this month fell through after both leaders left the event early, Trump due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, and Zelensky in response to drone and missile attack on Kyiv.
Upon arriving in The Hague, Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on June 24 that he had held “substantive” talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prepare for the Zelensky-Trump meeting, including its structure and key topics.
Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the summit.
In a recent interview with Sky News, Zelensky expressed uncertainty about Trump’s ties to Putin but said he believes Trump understands that Ukraine is a U.S. ally and that “the real existential enemy of America is Russia."
The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir