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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his letters to U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin produced concrete results, UATV English reports.
Speaking at a press conference following the Nordic-Baltic leaders’ summit, Zelenskyy was asked about his open letter to Putin proposing direct negotiations and what he hoped to achieve through the initiative.
The Ukrainian president replied that over the course of one month he had sent several letters to different institutions, including the European Union, the U.S. Congress, President Trump, and Putin.
He explained that his message to the United States was intended to draw Washington’s attention back to the war in Ukraine and, in particular, to Ukraine’s shortage of air-defense systems.
“I had different objectives. For example, when writing to the United States, I genuinely wanted to do everything possible to shift their focus, at least a little, from the Middle East to the situation in Ukraine. I do not want and cannot share all the details, but my country needs a very significant number of anti-ballistic capabilities,” Zelenskyy said.
“I got a result, but I cannot share what that result was at this time,” he added.
Zelenskyy also stated that he had written to Putin with a separate objective, which he believes was likewise achieved.
“I had a goal when I sent the letter to Putin, and I think I got the result that was needed,” the Ukrainian president said.
President Trump has expressed support for the possibility of a bilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
Meanwhile, Putin said that he had reviewed Zelenskyy’s open letter but “does not see any point” in holding such a meeting.
At the end of May, President Zelenskyy also sent a letter to President Trump warning of Ukraine’s growing shortage of air-defense systems, particularly capabilities designed to counter ballistic missile attacks.
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