Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet with United States President Donald Trump on Friday in Washington to discuss air defence and a long-range missile deal, sources said.
The meeting comes at a time when several EU members of the NATO bloc expressed concerns over the recent drone incursion incidents. Zelenskyy said he shared his ideas with Trump and Ukraine's "vision" on the number of long-range missiles Kyiv would need to thwart the Russian forces.
Earlier this week, Trump suggested that he may send “Tomahawks to Ukraine in case a ceasefire deal is not reached.” Though Moscow has said Ukrainian armed forces lack the training and capabilities to operate such highly sophisticated systems.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday made her first visit to Kyiv since assuming office, discussing military aid, energy security, and a reparations loan using frozen Russian assets. More than 30,000 people in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, were left without power on Monday after Russian drones struck critical energy infrastructure.
Also Read: Russia's drone strikes cause blackout in Kyiv
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly told negotiators from both sides that he was getting frustrated over the deadlock in direct peace talks. His administration has made several attempts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine; however, each time, the negotiations fail due to what he described as the unjustified demands of either side.
Both sides have targeted each other’s much-needed energy infrastructure over the past three years.
Last week, a large-scale attack on the capital, Kyiv, and other large cities left more than a million homes and businesses without power and also disrupted water supplies.
Furthermore, on Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed that it captured two more villages in the eastern Donetsk region and one near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region.
Also Read: Kyiv restores power to 800,000 citizens after Russian strikes
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