Zelensky, Trump confirm plans to meet in Washington this week
Editor's note: This article was updated with comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Oct. 13 that he plans to meet his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in Washington later this week, with Trump later confirming the meeting.
The meeting, scheduled for Oct. 17, will follow two phone calls between the leaders regarding Ukraine's air defenses and long-range capabilities in the wake of escalating Russian attacks.
Talking at a press conference alongside EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas, Zelensky said the phone calls "were not enough" to discuss all key topics.
The planned summit, which is said to take place at the invitation of Washington, will be the sixth meeting between Trump and Zelensky since the U.S. president returned to office in January. The leaders previously met in New York during the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23.
Zelensky also reminded that a Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko is already en route to the U.S.
"I think we need to discuss the sequence of steps that I want to propose to President (Trump)," Zelensky told journalists.
The president previously said that the delegation aims to negotiate the purchase of additional air defense systems, as well as HIMARS rocket systems, as part of a "Mega Deal" with Washington.
Trump later confirmed the planned meeting between the two leaders, speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One.
When asked if he would host Zelensky at the White House on Oct. 17, Trump replied, "I think so, yeah."
Kyiv has been calling upon foreign partners to help strengthen Ukrainian air defenses as Moscow escalates aerial attacks against Ukraine's energy grid. A mass strike on Oct. 10 temporarily knocked out the power supply in Kyiv and across Ukrainian regions.
Trump has also publicly floated the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, long-range cruise missiles capable of striking targets at a range of 1,600 to 2,500 kilometers (1,000 to 1,600 miles).
The Kremlin has expressed "extreme concern" regarding possible Tomahawk deliveries, saying such a move would constitute a "qualitatively new stage of escalation."
According to Zelensky, the Tomahawks could be financed through the upcoming "Mega Deal" with the U.S., by frozen Russian assets, or via the NATO-led Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) scheme.
