Ukraine has demanded $100 billion worth of arms deals, funded by the European Union, as part of the security guarantees from the United States. Donald Trump reassured Kyiv of security guarantees, though he said nothing would come free.
The Ukrainian president and several of his European backers held detailed negotiations with United States President Donald Trump on Monday.
Donald Trump, who had been sworn in on the slogan of America First, had questioned the unconditional support provided by his predecessor Joe Biden's regime to Ukraine.
Last month, he said that NATO members would effectively pay for the US-made weapons sent to Ukraine. Besides, Zelensky seeks another $50 billion weapon procurement draft, as Ukraine plans to produce drones with Ukrainian companies. Although the document contains limited details, reports on Tuesday said Ukraine intends to purchase at least 10 Patriot air defence missile systems.
Also Read: EU allies to back Zelensky in talks with Trump
Meanwhile, the promises made by the EU backers have so far not materialised, since Kyiv’s supporters have struggled to ramp up production to meet its needs. This has resulted in Ukrainian troops conceding massive portions of the land across entire battle lines against the Russian forces.
After a one-on-one meeting in Alaska on Friday, Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to agree to security guarantees for Ukraine, though he did not provide specifics.
Russia on Tuesday maintained that any deployment of the touted NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine will put every nation in confrontation with Russia. The Russian president has repeatedly said that everyone deployed to Ukraine without Russian consent would be a legitimate target for the Russian forces.
Also Read: Trump moves to arrange Zelenskyy-Putin meeting
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