Donald Trump confirmed this Monday, October 13, that he will receive Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday at the White House, in what should be the Ukrainian president’s third visit to his American counterpart since the billionaire’s return to power.
The American president declared “I think so” in response to a journalist who asked him if he would receive the Ukrainian president on Friday at the White House, speaking on his plane during a brief stopover on the way to Washington, after his visit to Israel and Egypt about the future of Gaza.
“I will meet with President Trump in Washington this week,” the Ukrainian president said Monday during a press conference in kyiv along with the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas.
“We need to discuss a series of measures that I want to propose to the president,” he added, specifying that he would also hold “other meetings” with US officials.
In particular, he mentioned meetings in the United States with representatives of “military companies” and elected representatives of Congress. “The main topic will be air defense, but I will also meet with companies in the energy sector,” Volodymyr Zelensky continued.
“I am grateful to President Trump”
In recent days, Ukraine has been the target of new waves of Russian bombings against its energy infrastructure, threatening to deprive many Ukrainians of light and heat as winter approaches.
A delegation of senior Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, the head of the presidential administration, Andriï Iermak, and the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Roustem Umerov, are already on their way to the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky reported on platform X on Monday afternoon.
“I thank President Trump for our dialogue and his support,” he added in the message.
The Ukrainian leader spoke twice in two days this weekend with Donald Trump by phone. On Monday, during his press conference with Kaja Kallas, Volodymyr Zelensky clarified that he had discussed “in detail” during these calls with Donald Trump “Ukraine’s long-range (strike) capabilities.”
Donald Trump assured on Sunday that he could threaten Vladimir Putin with sending long-range American Tomahawk missiles to kyiv if Russia does not agree to end the war triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
On August 18, Donald Trump received Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, after his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The cordiality of this meeting contrasted with the previous one, in February, when President Trump and Vice President JD Vance tried to publicly humiliate the Ukrainian leader.
Source: BFM TV
