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Zelenskyy Praises 'Important' Call With Trump, Says Air Defense Discussed


US President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, Feb 28, 2025.
US President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, Feb 28, 2025.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised what he called a "very important and useful conversation" with his US counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call on July 4 that came hours after a massive Russian attack on Kyiv.

The call was also highly anticipated as it followed what Trump said was a disappointing call he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous day.

But it was not immediately clear what, if any, concrete results the Trump-Zelenskyy talks produced. There was no immediate comment from Washington.

Zelenskyy indicated that the two leaders had discussed air defense, a key concern in Kyiv following the decision by Washington this week to halt some military aid to Ukraine.

This includes Patriot air defense missiles according to US media reports.

"We discussed the possibilities of air defense and agreed that we will work on increasing the protection of the sky," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

"We agreed on a corresponding meeting of our teams," he added.

539 Drones Strike Ukraine

The issue of air defense was given added impetus by Russia's massive overnight attacks on Ukraine.

Kyiv Hit By 'Largest' Russian Drone Attack, Dozens Injured Kyiv Hit By 'Largest' Russian Drone Attack, Dozens Injured
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Kyiv bore the brunt of the attack, which Ukrainian authorities said was the biggest yet of the war with 539 drones and 11 missiles.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that one person was killed in Kyiv. Rescuers recovered the victim's body from the rubble of a destroyed building.

More than 20 people were injured in the strikes, which hit civilian targets including a medical facility in the Ukrainian capital.

RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Oleh Haliv visited a 5-story apartment building with shattered windows and an impact hole in a wall.

"Everyone had gone down to the shelter...We saw through the window that everything was already on fire and exploding, so we (also) went down," a resident, Rina, said.

"Literally 10 minutes later, one hit this very building. We heard a huge explosion," she added.

Russian authorities said one woman was killed in the Rostov region amid a Ukrainian drone strike. They said Ukraine also injured one person and damaged power infrastructure near Moscow.

Trump “Very Disappointed” With Talk With Putin

The attacks on Kyiv underlined the message that Putin put to Trump in a roughly 1-hour phone call on July 3 that Moscow would not give up its aims in Ukraine.

"I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed," Trump said.

"I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad."

Political analyst Alexandra Filippenko told Current Time: "This is probably the first time we’re hearing such an admission from Donald Trump, because usually it’s bravado, usually it’s a story about how everything went wonderfully."

Zelenskyy said that his July 4 talks with Trump also covered "the capabilities of the defense industry," and "the possibilities of joint production."

He did not provide details of this.

Another Prisoner Exchange

Earlier on July 4, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners as part of an ongoing agreement that has seen busloads of prisoners-of-war cross the border both ways.

Zelenskyy posted images on Telegram showing returned soldiers wrapped in Ukrainian flags.

'We're Shocked': Ukrainian Soldiers Return Home After Prisoner Exchange 'We're Shocked': Ukrainian Soldiers Return Home After Prisoner Exchange
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"Today, our defenders who defended Ukraine in different regions are returning," he wrote, above a video showing emotional scenes as returnees emerged from a bus.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its returned soldiers were currently in Belarus, where they would receive medical and psychological support.

It was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the exchange.

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    Ray Furlong

    Ray Furlong is a Senior International Correspondent for RFE/RL. He has reported for RFE/RL from the Balkans, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and elsewhere since joining the company in 2014. He previously worked for 17 years for the BBC as a foreign correspondent in Prague and Berlin, and as a roving international reporter across Europe and the former Soviet Union.

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    RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

    RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service has seen its audience grow significantly since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and is among the most cited media outlets in the country. Its bold, in-depth reporting from the front lines has won many accolades and awards. Its comprehensive coverage also includes award-winning reporting by the Donbas.Realities and Crimea.Realities projects and the Schemes investigative unit.

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    Current Time

    Current Time is the Russian-language TV and digital network run by RFE/RL.

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