President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican and Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The Head of State thanked them for participating in the Ukraine Recovery Conference and in the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which was also attended by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. This marked the first time representatives of the United States had taken part in a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that strengthening Ukraine’s air defense is currently a top priority. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia aims to launch attacks involving up to one thousand drones at a time. Ukraine has already found a countermeasure against Russian UAVs – interceptor drones – which is why it is crucial to invest in their production.
The meeting addressed the continued supply of weapons from the United States and joint weapons production. The President confirmed that Ukraine is ready to purchase a large defense package from the United States.
One of the key issues discussed was the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia, which, despite enormous losses, shows no intention of ending its aggression against Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the senators for their bipartisan bill on strengthening sanctions against Russia, which has already been supported by 85 senators. He stressed that its adoption would serve as an important lever to compel the aggressor state to engage in real negotiations. It also means pressure on those who continue to support Russia’s war of aggression.
In addition, the parties discussed the importance of unity between the U.S. and Europe in their approaches to countering the Russian threat.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Lindsey Graham on his birthday and presented him with a book about Ukrainian children who have endured the hardships of war. Lindsey Graham presented the Ukrainian President with a printed copy of the Russia sanctions bill.
