Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin did not have the initiative in the war due to heavy losses, according to a US media interview broadcast Tuesday.
“So now Putin is losing 30,000 his soldiers per month…it’s many losses, but he doesn’t want to stop this war. So now initiative not in the hands of Putin,” Zelensky said during a trip to Washington that included a meeting with US President Donald Trump and attending the funeral of pro-Ukraine senator Lindsey Graham.
He also met with US senators about passing wide-ranging sanctions on Russian energy revenues, which the upper chamber of Congress later passed by a wide margin.
Zelensky spoke about the desire to stop the war. “We want to stop this war. We’re asking, you know — President Trump wants, and the Europeans want…But Putin doesn’t want,” he said.
Zelensky also said during his meeting with Trump, the pair discussed the US giving Ukraine license to co-produce Patriot air-defense systems, crucial for repelling deadly Russian strikes.
Trump said Ukraine would be given the license to produce Patriot interceptors at the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month.
“We began it in Ankara to give Ukrainian licenses for the production of Patriot,” Zelensky said.
“And today we had good meeting with President Trump. He accepted that he will give us licenses, and then I had meeting with representatives of production, very strong military companies of the United States,” he continued. “I hope that we will do co-production.” (AFP)
