In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with United States Senator Richard Blumenthal and Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Jim Himes.
“Thank you for coming these days, difficult days, after a massive attack. Thank you for your bipartisan support. We are very grateful to the United States, to the President and to the Congress of the United States,” the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he had sent a letter to the White House and the U.S. Congress outlining Ukraine’s needs for antiballistic missiles in light of intensified Russian strikes. Both timely procurement and allocation of these missiles are crucial, primarily through the PURL initiative, as well as accelerated deliveries.
“We have an initiative on the battlefield that we have gained. We are now in a better position than we were over the past year. But even in such a situation, our people are not safe, above all civilians, because of the big deficit of anti-ballistic missiles. And even the PURL program, which is working, does not fully help,” the President stressed.
The Members of Congress emphasized that they see how Russia is trying to intimidate diplomatic representatives in order to force them to leave Kyiv. However, all such attempts only increase the determination to support Ukraine and maintain a diplomatic presence in the capital.
“What Putin is doing is beyond cruelty. He's trying to terrorize and bully Ukraine into submission and convince the world that Russia is winning. I came back from my visit in February to tell people Russia is not winning. Russia is not going to win. Ukraine can prevail if we support Ukraine,” said Richard Blumenthal.
Member of the House Intelligence Committee Jim Himes noted that support for Ukraine, including intelligence assistance, will continue.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy provided a detailed briefing on the frontline situation and on Ukraine’s successful long-range sanctions. The American side clearly sees that Russia is suffering enormous losses and is not winning on the battlefield.
“They are now in very difficult circumstances. We are too. But we have been in such circumstances since the very beginning of this war. Now they are in difficult conditions. They are nervous, they are suffering heavy losses, and we believe they will begin a large mobilization in Russia. Therefore, we need to show that we have weapons, support, funding, and that we are not alone,” the President stressed.
Discussions also covered strengthening sanctions against Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that there must be no easing of pressure in this regard. The Members of the U.S. Congress believe it is essential to pressure Russia’s oil and gas sector in order to reduce its financial capacity to continue the war.
Particular attention was paid to the negotiation process. The Head of State stressed that there must be no pause in diplomacy and that talks must be reinvigorated, as Ukraine, the United States, and the entire world need peace.
Richard Blumenthal also thanked Ukraine for the defense against Iranian missiles and drones.
“What you are teaching the world is so extraordinarily valuable, and we owe you. We owe you not only for the lessons in technology, but also for the lessons in courage, perseverance, bravery, resilience, ingenuity, and creativity,” he said.
“You have supported us from the very beginning of this war, and of course, immediately when we received messages from the Middle East that some U.S. military bases needed support, we were open to it and immediately sent our teams to assist countries in the Middle East and, of course, American representatives there. We did this because we are truly friends and real partners, and we are ready to continue,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President noted that Ukraine already has agreements in place under Drone Deal formats with partners in the Middle East and is working with the American side on concluding a Drone Deal.