Trump and Zelenski discussed "maximum protection" of Ukrainian skies from Russian shelling

The president Donald Trump had a telephone conversation Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenski, in which they had as one of their main points "maximum protection" for Ukraine's airspace, at a time when the Eastern European country continues to be shelled by the Russian army and with little progress in recent weeks towards a peace agreement with the Kremlin that would put an end to the war.

Through a post on his X account, Zelenski noted that both he and Trump held a "detailed" conversation, following the meeting of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" in the city of Paris, adding that he proposed to the Republican leader a new format for protecting Ukraine's skies that the White House should consider. "First and foremost, we talked about how to push the situation toward real peace. We discussed different options, and the most important is pressure, using strong measures, particularly economic ones, to force an end to the war. The key to peace is depriving Russia’s war machine of money, depriving it of resources," Zelenski said.

"Pressure on Russia must be intensified."

Elsewhere in his tweet, the Ukrainian president commented that it was crucial to concretize protection for "the skies" of his country, pso that Ukraine would no longer be vulnerable to Russian shelling even by the time a peace agreement materializes between the parties. "We also spoke about maximum protection for Ukraine’s skies. Until peace comes, Ukrainians must not be at the mercy of constant Russian attacks. Russian missiles and drones must not take lives. Ukraine has proposed a format for protecting our skies for the U.S. to consider."

Similarly, the Ukrainian president stressed that the meeting, which was also attended by several top European leaders, discussed each country's readiness to contribute to security guarantees for Ukraine. "We coordinated positions and reviewed elements of security guarantees. I am grateful to everyone for understanding that the main security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian army. Support for Ukraine should be increased and pressure on Russia should be intensified. EU 19th package sanctions are being preparedJapan is also working on sanctions measures," commented Zelenski.