Zelensky sends delegation to US, asks for missiles and sanctions

A Ukrainian delegation will hold talks in the United States on Friday and Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this on Thursday. In the evening he specified that the team will meet Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Zelensky urged Trump to step up pressure on Russia. “You cannot discuss future economic projects with the Russians on the one hand and say on the other that we have reached a certain diplomatic dead end,” he said. The Russian army struck Ukraine on both Wednesday and Thursday, killing dozens of people.

What Kyiv wants

According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian side intends to discuss strengthening air defence, a topic Kyiv raises constantly. Ukraine lacks missiles capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles. “The talks are expected to last two days. We also expect a European team to join our group,” the president said.

As an American newspaper reported, the Trump administration's discussions with Russia on ending the war have included a deal to sell Lukoil's extensive oil assets in various parts of the world. Companies from the Middle East linked to the chief US negotiators, Witkoff and Kushner, could benefit from it.

New strikes on Ukraine

Zelensky visited the northern city of Pryluky, where a Russian missile hit a residential building on Wednesday, killing 22 people, including five children. On Thursday Russia attacked two public transport buses in Kramatorsk in the east of the country. At least 30 people were killed and another 20 were injured.

During his visit to Pryluky, Zelensky called it a “terrible mistake” that the European Union had removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz