Zelensky seeks Trump meeting in September to discuss US missile aid

Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine is preparing a domestic "Freya" missile program and is seeking U.S. assistance to secure the necessary technology. While European partners are expected to help, Kyiv still requires batches of American ballistic missiles, a point Zelensky intends to bring up in a September meeting with Donald Trump. He expressed confidence that a discussion around the 20th of the month could yield results, citing divine guidance.

The president did not disclose where the talks would take place. Recent diplomatic activity included visits by U.S. officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv after meetings in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Zelensky described as "very substantive" and a step toward possible trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia. Security advisers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany also participated in the Kyiv discussions.