Zelenskyy met Trump for air defence amid Russia's intense attacks

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's meeting with US President Trump aimed to secure air defence interceptors. A former envoy noted Ukraine faces armament shortages as global attention has shifted, while Russia has intensified attacks on civilian targets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House was primarily aimed at securing air defence interceptors to prevent Kyiv from being left vulnerable as Russia has intensified its attacks, particularly on civilian targets, former Indian Ambassador to Ukraine Vidya Bhushan Soni said on Wednesday.

Speaking to ANI on the significance of the Zelenskyy-Trump meeting, Soni said Ukraine is facing an acute shortage of armaments after international attention and military resources shifted away from the conflict between US-Israeli coalition forces and Iran, which has led to the disruption of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the key waterways for global energy trade.

Ukraine's Cause 'On The Back Burner'

"When the whole problem started four years back, nobody could have ever thought it'd last more than a few weeks. But it has lasted that long, and there is nothing in sight. It doesn't appear that things are getting under control," Soni said.

He said Ukraine's cause had been pushed into the background as global attention shifted to other geopolitical developments. "Ukraine has every reason to be upset because their cause was pushed into the background, put on the back burner because of the Hormuz crisis. So all the attention which was on the issue was taken away from them, not just the attention but also all the resources which ought to have come their way from the Americans and the European and other allies, but diverted, and they are feeling the pinch right now because they are running short of armaments," he said.

Shift in Russian Strategy

According to Soni, Russia has increasingly relied on ballistic missile strikes after initially deploying drones, creating an urgent need for advanced air defence systems. "Russians are very clever. They, of course, started with the drones, but now the anti-ballistic missile is an issue which concerns Ukraine more than anything else. So they don't have weapons to counter that, and they are on the lookout for Patriot missiles, which are the ones which can target and, in fact, intercept the ballistic missiles which are being fired from Russia," he said.

He noted that while Ukraine received verbal backing from its allies during the recently held NATO summit in Turkiye, it did not translate into additional military assistance. "So their effort is that, for the time being, things are slowing down on that front. Let the Ukrainian crisis also be put onto the mainstream. And they tried it at the NATO summit in Turkiye. There was a kind of verbal support, but nothing actually happened in terms of support to them for armaments," Soni said.

Highlighting the worsening security situation, the former envoy said Russia has stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure, increasing Kyiv's urgency to secure additional defensive capabilities. "Since the Russian attack has intensified, I believe there is today a very serious attack on the civilian targets," he said.

Zelenskyy's Renewed Diplomatic Push

Explaining the objective behind Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump, Soni said the Ukrainian President sought stronger US support to bolster the country's air defences. "So because of all these things, they have made a renewed effort. And the effort of Zelenskyy to meet President Trump was this: please don't leave us in this kind of a situation. We need interceptors. We need items to counter the Russians, or else they will be used again against the NATO allies. So that is basically the reason," he said.

His remarks after Zelenskyy on Tuesday met with Trump at the White House, with their meeting focused on strengthening Ukraine's air defence capabilities, including licences for Patriot interceptor production, as well as efforts to reinvigorate diplomatic initiatives aimed at advancing peace amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

In a post on X following the meeting at the Oval Office, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the United States' continued support for Ukraine and said the discussions covered several areas of defence cooperation. "A good meeting with President Trump @POTUS at the Oval Office. Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace. First and foremost, I offered President Trump our condolences on the passing of Lindsey Graham. He was a true friend of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in the post.

"The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy - it's important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication. I am grateful to the United States for its firm support," he added. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)