Ukraine Seeks More U.S. Air Defense Systems Amid NATO Summit

During the NATO summit, the held a lengthy and substantive meeting with the Ukrainian President. The meeting, which lasted 45 minutes, was described as "long and substantive" by the Ukrainian President. This was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since Ukraine and Russia resumed direct dialogue in an effort to end the conflict. The meeting comes as Russia has launched a series of deadly airstrikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, highlighting Ukraine's growing need for additional air defense systems.

The indicated that he would consider providing more Patriot air defense missile system batteries to Ukraine. Allies are currently seeking greater U.S. pressure on Russia to end the conflict. "We'll see if we can provide some of these, which are very difficult to obtain," the said at a press conference in The Hague when asked about the U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile system batteries. "More than anything else, they want this."

The Ukrainian President sought to persuade the to sell weapons to Ukraine. "We discussed all the truly important issues," the Ukrainian President posted on X. "We discussed how to achieve a ceasefire and real peace. We talked about how to protect our people." He did not elaborate, stating that "details will be released later."

The and the Ukrainian President last met in April in Vatican City, where they had a roughly 15-minute conversation before the funeral of Pope Francis. A meeting between the two was planned during the G7 summit earlier this month in Canada, but was canceled when the left the summit early.

Efforts by the to end the Ukraine conflict appeared to make progress in May, but since then, the Russian President has ignored calls from the U.S. and Europe to accept a ceasefire and engage seriously in negotiations.

When asked about his efforts to broker a ceasefire, the said he would speak with the Russian President and added that the Russian leader must end the conflict. The Ukrainian President expressed his gratitude for the 's "attention and willingness to help promote peace."

Military aid funds approved for Ukraine during the tenure of the will be depleted this summer. The has stated that he will not renew military aid to Ukraine. Ukraine is in urgent need of weapons such as the Patriot air defense system, which only the U.S. can provide.

The Ukrainian President is attempting to persuade the to allow Kyiv to purchase weapons. He may also urge the to strengthen sanctions against Russia, believing this to be the only way to compel the Russian President to engage seriously in peace talks.

Despite the Russian President's refusal to make concessions, the has so far been reluctant to increase pressure on the Russian President. After meeting with the Ukrainian President in April, the criticized the Russian President for "firing missiles into Ukrainian civilian areas." Since then, Russia has intensified its missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, with Tuesday's attack resulting in 21 deaths and over 300 injuries.