US President Donald Trump said both Ukraine and Russia will have to make concessions to reach a settlement, pushing back against what he described as Ukrainian reluctance to compromise. Trump made the remarks during a cabinet meeting when asked about Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s resistance to reaching a deal.
Trump said that nobody wants to make concessions, but that both sides will have to in order to close an agreement. He added that he believes Putin and Zelensky both want a deal.
No Patriot License for Ukraine
Trump said the United States had not agreed to allow Ukraine to produce missiles for Patriot air defense systems, and that Washington would be very careful about permitting anyone to manufacture them. He described Patriot missiles as an unusual weapon requiring close scrutiny over who receives a production license.
The statement came two days after a White House meeting at which Zelensky said Trump had already agreed to transfer the technology to Kyiv. Trump’s position turned out to be more cautious than the Ukrainian side had presented it.
Trump also told Zelensky during that meeting that the US faces difficulties transferring Patriot systems and Tomahawk missiles, noting that such technologies are hard to hand over to other countries. He had previously refused a Ukrainian request for 300 Patriot missiles ahead of winter.
No New Agreements
Ukrainian parliament member Alexander Dubinsky said no new agreements emerged from the Zelensky-Trump meeting because Washington cannot give Kyiv more than it already does. Dubinsky said Pentagon stockpiles are depleted and European defense industry cannot yet supply the needed volume.
