KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed new agreements with allies that he said would provide “hundreds of thousands” of new drones to the fight against Russia, while US President Donald Trump hinted at possible additional sanctions against Moscow as it continues to reject his cease-fire push.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy on July 5 said separate agreements with a US firm and European allies -- including Denmark and Sweden -- would give Ukraine the ability to hit important targets inside Russia, including defense industry assets, airbases, and oil refineries.
Ukraine is “preparing new steps that will make Russia truly feel that it will pay for this war. There must be accountability for the aggressor. And there will be – entirely just and keenly felt.”
The remarks come in uncertain times for Kyiv regarding the supply of weapons from its most important ally. On July 2, Ukrainian officials reacted with shock as the United States announced plans to halt some unspecified supplies of weapons it previously provided to Ukraine, citing its own dwindling stockpiles.
The comments also come after Trump said that Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin understands that more sanctions “may be coming,” as Moscow continues to reject Washington’s push for a cease-fire in Ukraine.
Speaking on Air Force One on July 4, Trump said: “You know, we talk about sanctions a lot and he understands that it may be coming."
Trump’s remarks also elaborated on his earlier comment that he was “disappointed” by his phone call with Putin on July 3.
Many observers say Putin is no hurry to agree to a cease-fire deal, believing that he is winning the war on the ground and that time is on his side. Russia has, however, suffered massive losses in manpower and its economy has taken a major hit because of soaring defense spending.
"He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good," Trump said, adding that he was “very unhappy” with the Kremlin leader.
Hours earlier, Trump had what he called "a good call" with Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on the United States to impose greater sanctions on Russia to force Moscow to the negotiating table.
Since taking office in January, Trump has not imposed any new sanctions on Russia. His administration has also relaxed enforcement, experts say. Trump has countered that imposing sanctions on Russia would hurt peace negotiations.
Zelenskyy on July 5 again hailed his talk with Trump, stating his call the "most productive" he has ever had with the US leader.
"Regarding the conversation with the president of the United States, which took place a day earlier, it was probably the best conversation we have had during this whole time, the most productive," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
"We discussed air defense issues and I'm grateful for the willingness to help. The Patriot missile system is precisely the key to protection against ballistic threats."
Zelenskyy said the two leaders had discussed "several other important matters" that officials from the two sides would be considering in forthcoming meetings.
But it was not immediately clear what, if any, concrete results the Trump-Zelenskyy talks produced.
Asked by reporters whether Washington agreed to provide additional Patriot air-defense missiles to Kyiv, Trump responded: "They're going to need them for defense...They're going to need something because they're being hit pretty hard."
Also on July 4, Trump discussed Patriot missiles in a call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one of a series of conversations he had with Western leaders on US Independence Day.
Berlin has raised the possibility that it would buy Patriots from Washington and then provide them to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy earlier said Ukraine had reached has "reached an agreement with one of the leading American companies to significantly increase our joint efforts" on drones, including interceptors, which have become central to Ukrainian defense efforts against Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022.
"An agreement has been signed with the strong American company Swift Beat," Zelenskyy posted on his official Telegram channel as he began a visit to Denmark on July 3. "We are talking about hundreds of thousands of drones already this year and the possibility of significantly scaling up production next year."
Swift Beat was founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who joined in a signing ceremony with Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The company, which Zelenskyy's office said already has a significant presence in Ukraine, specializes in AI-powered drones and has already collaborated with Ukrainian engineers and military officials.
The company could not be immediately reached for comment.
Zelenskyy also hailed agreement with European allies as he looks to solidify support amid uncertainties regarding long-term US backing.
He singled out an agreement with Denmark to co-produce weapons in that country.
"With Denmark, we now have new agreements on coproduction of weapons. An agreement was...signed yesterday," he said.
"We will work on Danish territory," he said, adding that it was the first substantial effort to utilize Ukrainian production capabilities abroad, vowing that similar "agreements will follow."
"Joint work on the territory of Denmark, and soon in other key partner countries, is allowing us to scale up even more," Zelenskyy said. "This applies to drones and many other types of urgently needed weapons."
He also said Sweden and Latvia had both had agreed on "new defense support packages."
Russia has intensified air attacks on Kyiv and other cities in recent weeks. Moscow's forces launched the largest drone attack of the 40-month-old war on the night of July 3-4.
As Zelenskyy celebrated the potential influx of drone supplies, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defense shot down four Ukrainian drones headed for the capital, forcing one of the capital's main airports to temporarily halt outgoing flights.
Local Telegram channels reported that more than 170 flights were delayed and some 50 were canceled at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
Russia's Defense Ministry separately said air-defense units had destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones in a period of just over five hours in the evening of July 5.
