The Ukrainian President stated on Friday that he had a “very important and productive” phone call with President Donald Trump.

According to a statement from Zelenskyy, the two leaders discussed potential enhancements to Ukrainian air defenses, possible joint weapons production between the U.S. and Ukraine, and broader U.S.-led efforts to conclude the war with Russia.

On X, Zelenskyy wrote, “I had a very important and fruitful conversation with @POTUS.” He added, “I congratulated President Trump and the entire American people on the US Independence Day. We – in Ukraine – are grateful for all the support provided. It helps us protect lives, safeguard our freedom and independence. We have achieved a lot together with America and we support all efforts to stop the killings and restore just, lasting, and dignified peace. A noble agreement for peace is needed.”

Zelenskyy indicated that he and Trump “discussed the current situation, including Russian airstrikes and the broader frontline developments.”

Zelenskyy noted, “President Trump is very well informed, and I thank him for his.” He then continued, “We spoke about opportunities in air defense and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies. We have also agreed to a meeting between our teams. We had a detailed conversation about defense industry capabilities and joint production. We are ready for direct projects with the United States and believe this is critically important for security, especially when it comes to drones and related technologies. We also touched on mutual procurement and investment. Finally, we exchanged views on the diplomatic situation and joint work with the U.S. and other partners.”

When questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One late Friday, Trump characterized his discussion with Zelenskyy as “a very good call, I think a very strategic call.”

Regarding the Ukrainians, Trump stated, “Well, we’ve been helping them, and we’ll continue to help them.” He added, “It’s a pretty tough situation. We’ll see what happens. I told you I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. And it just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. No good. It’s not good. I was unhappy with him.”

In response to a query about whether the U.S. would sell more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, Trump replied, “Yeah, we might. We’re looking at it.”

Trump explained, “They need them for defense. I don’t want to see people killed. They’re going to need them for defense. They’re amazingly effective.” He further commented, “They’re going to need something because they’re being hit pretty hard.”

When asked if he had personally threatened Putin with sanctions, Trump responded, “We talk about sanctions a lot, yeah.”

Trump remarked, “I would say he’s not thrilled with it. He’s been able to handle sanctions, but these are pretty biting sanctions. No, we talk about sanctions a lot. And he understands that it may be coming, and, you, know, he’s a professional.”

The United States has temporarily halted certain military aid shipments to Ukraine, including vital air defense missiles, due to concerns about its own stockpiles following the Israel-Iran conflict. Ukraine’s primary European allies are evaluating ways to compensate for this shortfall. Zelenskyy has stated that efforts are underway to expand Ukraine’s indigenous arms industry, though this expansion will require time.

Trump mentioned he had also discussed Ukraine’s with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but they have not yet made a decision.

Regarding Merz, Trump commented, “No, we did talk about it, though, and he feels, you know, they have to be protected. He’s a strong guy, and smart, very smart man.”

Earlier on Friday, Trump had expressed “very disappointed” with his phone conversation with Putin, remarking, “I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Putin, issued a summary of what he described as an almost hour-long discussion between Trump and the Russian leader. It indicated that Putin informed Trump that Russia would regarding the Ukraine war.

Moscow’s readout stated: “Naturally, the issues surrounding Ukraine were also discussed. Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of ending the hostilities as soon as possible. In turn, Vladimir Putin noted that we still continued the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict.” The readout further added, “He also noted Russia was willing to pursue negotiations. Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals.”

Russia has intensified its long-range assaults on Ukraine. Kyiv experienced massive drone and missile attacks overnight from Thursday to Friday, marking the most significant aerial assault since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine commenced.

Ukraine reported hitting a Russian air base on Saturday, even as Russia’s intensified bombing campaign diminished prospects for a resolution to the more than three-year-old conflict.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s military confirmed that Ukrainian forces had targeted the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia’s Voronezh region, identifying it as the operational base for Russia’s Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM fighter jets.

‘ Sarah Tobianski, Lucas Tomlinson and