Zelenskyy says Trump reinforced Ukraine commitments days after sub deployment

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a productive conversation with President Donald Trump and coordinated efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a Tuesday statement. The pair discussed bilateral defense cooperation with the United States and penned a draft of what could be Ukraine's strongest drone agreement, Zelenskyy said. Trump is informed of Russia's continued strikes on Kyiv and discussed sanctions against Russia’s declining economy, he added.

Trump and Zelenskyy also discussed European developments that may aid in Ukraine’s defense. Ukraine has received over $1 billion from the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark that will go to purchasing American weapons, Zelenskyy said. Cooperation with NATO countries will continue, he added.

The Netherlands was the first country to follow up on the NATO weapons deal allowing Ukraine to purchase American air defense systems, according to a Monday statement from Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof. These weapons are badly needed in Ukraine’s daily defense against Russia’s large-scale aggression, he added. The Norwegian Defense Ministry also highlighted its contributions to Ukraine, alongside Sweden and Denmark in a Tuesday statement. The countries together gave $500 million to Ukraine’s military needs, according to Norway.

Wasn’t Trump backing away from the Russia/Ukraine conflict? Trump repeatedly issued ultimatums to Russia, initially giving the country 50 days to broker a deal with Ukraine. About a week ago, Trump slashed the previous timeline down to about 12 days. Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy came about four days after two U.S. nuclear submarines were repositioned in response to comments made by the deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, Dmitry Medvedev.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is now scheduled to visit Moscow on Wednesday to continue ceasefire discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report for more on Trump readying nuclear subs after Russian remarks.