Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked a bipartisan group of US senators to pressure the Donald Trump administration to lift restrictions on intelligence sharing and arms deliveries to Ukraine, Axios reported, which obtained a transcript of the online conversation.
The meeting was chaired by Republican Tom Tillis and Democrat Richard Blumenthal. Zelensky spoke about the difficulties he believes Ukraine is facing, including in using the Starlink and Starshield satellite systems.
„We have not yet received any explanations on this issue. "Unfortunately, we only hear various strange stories," Zelensky said.He said the restrictions were hampering the ability of Ukrainian forces to shoot down Russian strike drones. He also said that Ukraine had not received warnings from the United States about Russian ballistic missile strikes three times in the past week, including on Sunday.
Zelensky suggested that the lack of warnings could be a sign of limited intelligence sharing. However, the claim contradicts the position of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has rejected information that the US has stopped providing Ukraine with data on Russian ballistic missile strikes.
Dispute over Patriot and NASAMS missiles
The Ukrainian president told senators that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett is not authorizing the delivery of interceptors for Patriot systems and AIM-9X missiles for NASAMS anti-aircraft systems. According to Zelensky, NATO countries have already paid for these supplies.
“We have almost no Patriot interceptors left from our American partners“, he said.Zelensky admitted that a political decision may have been made to delay support for Ukraine and asked senators to clarify the reasons for this.
After the conversation, Tom Tillis stated that Congress continues to support Ukraine and its European allies in opposing Russian aggression and in efforts for lasting peace. Richard Blumenthal said that bipartisan support for Kiev is “clear and unequivocal”.
Proposal for a 30-day pause
Zelensky said that on Sunday he proposed to US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that Ukraine stop its attacks on Russian oil refineries for 30 days. In return, Kiev has asked the US for Patriot interceptors to protect itself from Russian ballistic missiles during that period.
According to Zelensky, the US side has not shown any willingness to consider the proposal. He also announced that he will be in Oslo next week, where he may meet with Witkoff and Kushner. According to Axios, the two special representatives may then travel to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin.
The conversation takes place against the backdrop of deepening tensions between Kiev and Washington. On October 19, Donald Trump said that Ukraine may need another representative in peace talks, and Zelensky accused the US administration of limiting key support.
Sources: unian.net, axios.com