Weapons and more: What Zelenskyy and Trump will discuss in The Hague
The upcoming meeting between the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, is of great importance and could give concrete results in strengthening Ukraine's defense, stated Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
"We are waiting for the meeting, it should happen soon. In any case, a bilateral format - President Zelenskyy and President Trump - is always a positive one, because it allows us to highlight the right points and discuss certain issues that may be raising concerns on one side or the other," Podolyak said.
According to him, Ukraine's top priority remains the procurement of weapons. He noted that the United States has sufficient stockpiles of ammunition that are critically needed on the front line today.
"It's the purchasing of weapons, because the US has a lot of the ammunition we urgently need on the front line," the adviser emphasized.
Podolyak stressed the importance of raising the issue of peacekeeping initiatives with the American side. According to him, Russia previously rejected all ceasefire and negotiation proposals initiated by Trump.
"All of Mr. Trump's peacekeeping initiatives were rejected by the Russian side. Without sanctions, without forcing Russia, without additional pressure on Russia, it is impossible to stop the war," he noted.
He also commented on the recent statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding sanctions.
"Mr. Rubio stated that the sanctions package does not come from Mr. Trump, but if we impose sanctions today, they would limit the possibility of conducting negotiations with the Russian side,” the adviser of the Presidential Office explained.
Podolyak is confident that such a meeting would be beneficial for Ukraine, particularly because Trump's position is changing under the influence of his allies.
"In my view, considering Trump's position, which is slightly adjusting, slightly changing, including under pressure from European partners, I believe this will be positive for Ukraine," he added.
Zelenskyy in The Hague for NATO summit
On June 24, the annual 76th NATO summit began in The Hague, Netherlands. Today, June 25, the summit continues with its plenary session. The main topic on the agenda is increasing defense spending, with a target of 5% of GDP by 2035. However, the allies will also discuss continued support for Ukraine.
According to an RBC-Ukraine's source, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet today with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague. In addition to the meeting with the American leader, Zelenskyy's agenda also includes talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
