Trump and Zelenskyy hold dialogue amid pause in arms shipments to Ukraine and agreed to "work together"

On Friday, President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a critical time for Ukraine, marked by an unprecedented wave of Russian airstrikes and the temporary suspension of key US arms shipments to the country.

The call came after a night of heavy Russian shelling that left at least one person dead and more than two dozen wounded in Kiev, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kiev City Military Administration. Six districts of the Ukrainian capital suffered damage, affecting more than 30 apartment buildings, five educational institutions, and numerous private homes.

Zelensky, in a posting on X, stressed that during the conversation with Trump, they agreed to work to strengthen the protection of Ukrainian airspace and explore possibilities for joint arms production.

"A noble agreement for peace is needed," and added that "Ukraine supports all efforts to stop the killings and restore just, lasting, and dignified peace."

He further noted that after Trump's call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, anti-aircraft alerts began sounding in several Ukrainian cities and regions. Ukrainian forces, according to Zelenskyy, employed interceptor drones that managed to destroy "dozens" of Russian UAVs.

The conversation between Trump and Zelenskyy

The conversation between the two took place against a backdrop of diplomatic and strategic tensions.

The U.S. Department of Defense this week suspended shipments of air defense missiles and other munitions to Ukraine, pending a review of U.S. military stockpiles. This pause includes AIM-7 missiles, originally designed for air use but adapted by Ukraine for air defense.

In that vein, Trump on Thursday criticized ex-President Joe Biden, accusing him of "emptying out our whole country" by sending weapons to Ukraine, and stressed the need to prioritize national stockpiles: "We have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves."