Kathmandu. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed optimism that Ukraine will get a license to co-produce and manufacture Patriot air defense systems to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses after meeting President Donald Trump.

He said that US support is critical to strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities in the war against Russia, and that Russia’s strategic advance on the war front is weakening due to heavy human and military losses.

In an interview with Fox News after the more than hour-long meeting at the White House, Zelensky said he had a very positive conversation with Trump. According to him, Trump agreed to provide the necessary licenses to produce the Patriot air defense system. He said he also met with representatives of major US defence industries to discuss the possibility of co-production.

After the meeting, President Trump said on social media that the meeting was very successful and the two sides discussed many important issues.

Both sides have stepped up their long-range strikes at a time when US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia have not yielded results. In such a situation, Ukraine has given priority to the expansion of production capacity and the additional supply of the Patriot system, especially the ballistic missile interception.

Speaking to AFP ahead of the meeting, a senior Ukrainian official said Ukraine’s key need was to acquire more anti-ballistic missiles and revive diplomatic efforts to end the war. According to the United Nations, last month became the month of the highest number of Ukrainian civilian deaths since April 2022, mainly due to Russia’s increase in ballistic missile attacks.

After returning to power last year, Trump cut off direct supplies of U.S. weapons to Ukraine and pursued purchases from European countries. However, the United States still provides Ukraine with access to intelligence and Starlink satellite communications systems as a key partner.

Trump-Zelensky relations have improved significantly in recent months after a heated public row at the White House in February 2025. In a meeting earlier this month, Trump praised Zelensky’s leadership and proposed cooperation on Patriot missile production. Last week, Zelensky also met with Trump’s special envoys Steve Wittoff and Jared Kushner to discuss how to restart the diplomatic process on Ukraine.

During his visit to Washington, Zelensky attended a memorial service for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who recently passed away. He then addressed US senators ahead of a preliminary procedural vote on a bipartisan bill to impose further sanctions on Russia. Graham has long advocated for the bill. Despite dissatisfaction with some of the provisions, the bill has moved towards final approval with bipartisan support.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has recently stepped up drone attacks on Russian oil depots, refineries and fuel transport infrastructure. Zelenskyy said Russia was losing about 30,000 troops a month, but President Vladimir Putin was unwilling to end the war. He also claimed that Putin’s strategic approach to the war was no longer under Putin’s control.

Before the meeting between Zelensky and Trump, Ukraine had fired hundreds of drones inside Russia. In response, Russia launched more than 100 drone strikes on Ukraine overnight and continued to attack the port of Odessa and infrastructure related to agricultural exports.