In recent days, President Donald Trump has demonstrated renewed and robust backing for Ukraine, engaging directly with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressing disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid escalations in the war.
On July 4, Trump spoke with Zelenskyy in what the Ukrainian leader called “the best conversation we have had during this whole time, the most productive”. They focused on bolstering Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities, especially via Patriot missile systems. Trump emphasized that Ukraine “need[s] them for defence… they’re being hit pretty hard,” and described Patriot systems as “pretty amazing”.
Trump revealed that his July 3 call with Putin was “disappointing,” accusing the Russian leader of not aiming to end the war. He said Putin “wants to go all the way, just keep killing people” and reaffirmed his own stance to push for a ceasefire.
