Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US defense giants Raytheon and Lockheed Martin on Friday, seeking to accelerate long-sought air defense and missile support as Russia steps up attacks ahead of winter.
At Raytheon, which produces Tomahawk missiles and Patriot systems, Zelensky discussed “potential avenues for cooperation to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence and long-range capabilities,” and the prospects for Ukrainian-American joint production.
He then met separately with Lockheed Martin to outline Ukraine’s urgent need for more air defense systems, missiles, and F-16 aircraft.
“Russia is striking Ukraine more brutally ahead of winter, and now is the moment we need to strengthen our air defense. We understand the concrete steps needed for our protection and are working to implement them,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
The meeting followed a visit by a Ukrainian delegation to the same US arms makers on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Ahead of their visit, Zelensky said energy, sanctions, and defense would dominate the agenda, with the long-requested transfer of Tomahawk missiles likely taking center stage.
Zelensky recently also hinted at progress on a $50 billion “mega-drone deal” with the US – though it’s unclear if the talks with Raytheon and Lockheed Martin were tied to the Tomahawks, the drone deal, or neither.
Zelensky arrived in Washington on Oct. 16 for talks with US President Donald Trump, aimed at advancing discussions on the potential supply of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
He announced his arrival on social media shortly after a surprise phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which led to the shock announcement of a second US-Russia summit to take place in Budapest.
Trump described his call with Putin as “very productive” and said he expected to meet the Russian leader in Budapest within the next two weeks. The Kremlin welcomed the “extremely frank and trustful” discussion and said preparations for the summit had already begun.
Zelensky insisted that the threat of Tomahawk missiles had pushed Moscow toward negotiations, even as Trump delivered another sudden pivot in his views on the war.
“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that he and Putin would meet to “see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ war between Russia and Ukraine to an end.”
Trump has sent mixed signals about the Tomahawks, which Washington describes as a “step up” in Ukraine’s capabilities. He has alternately suggested the missiles could help force Moscow to end the war and warned they could “escalate” the conflict.
Speaking in Washington as Zelensky arrived, Trump seemed to cast doubt on the US supplying the missiles, citing concerns about “depleting” American stockpiles.
“We need Tomahawks for the US too – we have a lot of them, but we need them,” Trump said, adding: “We can’t deplete for our country... I don’t know what we can do about that.”
Analysts suggest this newfound hesitancy follows a clear pattern: a threat of decisive action from the US side, followed by a Kremlin-initiated diplomatic overture – in this case, a phone call timed perfectly before Zelensky’s arrival – designed to delay or derail the decision.
Trump also noted that Putin “didn’t like the idea,” referencing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov’s statement that the Russian leader criticized the proposal as potentially damaging to US-Russia relations.
US president told reporters that he would meet Putin in Budapest “probably over the next two weeks,” following discussions between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian officials.