Ukrainian government officials will visit the United States at the end of September or October for talks on major deals involving weapons purchases and drone production, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday (September 27).
Zelenskiy was in the United States this week, where he participated in the U.N. General Assembly and met U.S. President Donald Trump. He said that he shared with Trump "a certain vision of what could be done” to respond to Russia’s actions.
Ukraine has previously prepared a deal worth about $90 billion to purchase American weapons and has shared its vision with Trump's administration.
Kyiv was ready to discuss separate agreements, including on long-range weapons, Zelenskiy said. During the visits, Ukrainian officials would also discuss the economy, he said.
During more than three and a half years of the war against Russia, Ukraine has created a robust drone industry from scratch, with hundreds of producers making millions of drones.
But the country lacks proper financing to be able to scale production further.
Ukraine also crucially depends on weapons supplies from its Western allies, especially for air defence.
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine has already deployed one Patriot system received recently from Israel and expects to receive two more Patriot systems this autumn.
Strengthening air defence and protecting cities and residents from Russian bombardments remain key priorities for Zelenskiy's government.
In recent months, Russia has ramped up its drone and missile strikes on Ukraine and can send hundreds of drones in one attack.
Ukraine is responding by sending its own drones to hit Russian energy and oil facilities.
Zelenskiy said that he had shared "a certain vision" with Trump on how to respond to Russia's actions.
"If Ukraine's capital is threatened with a blackout, for example, then the Kremlin should know that there will be a blackout in the capital of the Russian Federation," Zelenskiy said.
