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US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “productive” meeting on Monday, the Ukrainian leader said, as anticipation grew over a major announcement Trump said he would make on Monday.
Kellogg and Zelenskyy discussed what the US and Ukraine could “practically do”, including “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe,” as Ukraine continues to defend itself from Russia’s all-out war, now in its fourth year.
The meeting comes after Trump teased a “major statement” on Russia on Sunday night ahead of a meeting with Mark Rutte, telling reporters that he would “send Ukraine various pieces of very sophisticated military.”
“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump said, referring to US-made air defence missiles, regarded as one of the world’s best systems for detecting and intercepting incoming air targets.
Trump’s comments signal a shift in tone toward Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has grown increasingly frustrated as Putin continues to evade a US-backed ceasefire proposal and escalate attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.
After taking office in January, Trump boasted of his good relations with Putin and repeatedly said that Russia was interested in reaching a deal.
However, in April, Trump urged Putin to “stop” launching deadly barrages on Kyiv, and in the following months, accused the Russian leader of “going crazy” as drone and missile attacks continued.
A top ally of Trump, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, said Sunday that Moscow’s war was reaching an inflexion point as Trump shows interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia’s attacks.
“In the coming days, you’ll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves,” Graham said in an interview for CBS television.
“One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there’s going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table,” Graham said.
