In addition, the president discussed the U.S. administration’s latest actions with Republicans and Democrats, according to Axios.
What did Zelenskyy say?
During a conversation with a bipartisan group led by Tom Tillis and Richard Blumenthal, the Ukrainian leader outlined the obstacles the country has faced following its most recent contacts with the U.S. side. The head of state called on lawmakers to pressure the White House to unblock critically important military aid and intelligence sharing.
In particular, communication via the Starlink and Starshield systems remains partially restricted, which contradicts the U.S. administration’s public statements. According to the president, Kyiv has yet to receive any clear explanation regarding the reasons for its partners’ actions.
We still have no explanation for this. Unfortunately, we only hear various strange stories. This hinders Ukraine’s ability to shoot down Russian attack drones,
– Zelenskyy emphasized.
The situation has also escalated because, over the past week, Ukraine has on three occasions failed to receive warnings from the U.S. about ballistic missile launches by Russia. In addition to intelligence restrictions, difficulties have arisen with air defense systems. According to the head of state, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth does not approve of the transfer of Patriot interceptor missiles and AIM-9x missiles for NASAMS systems, even though NATO allies have already fully funded these purchases. The president noted that the White House made a deliberate decision to slow down support.
We have almost no Patriot missiles left from our U.S. partners... All of this suggests that some kind of political decision was made to slow down our support. We want to understand what is happening, why it is happening, and where all of this is leading,
Zelenskyy said.
He shared details of the negotiations with Donald Trump’s special representatives – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. During the meeting, Kyiv proposed suspending strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days in exchange for the delivery of Patriot missile systems to defend against Russian ballistic missiles during that period; however, the envoys showed no interest in this initiative.
Despite this, Zelenskyy expressed his willingness to meet with U.S. representatives in Norway, after which Witkoff and Kushner could travel to Moscow for talks with Putin.
Republican Tom Tillis stated that Congress supports Ukraine and its European allies “in stopping Russia’s brutal aggression and ensuring lasting peace.”
“Bipartisan support for Ukraine has been clear and unequivocal, and we will demonstrate this through our future actions. Appeasement will not work with Putin – a thug who understands only force and coercion,”
said Democrat Richard Blumenthal.
On Sunday, October 18, the head of state emphasized that a series of unfriendly actions by Washington indicates an attempt to pressure Ukraine to surrender to Russia. The White House is demanding an end to attacks on oil refineries, while at the same time threatening to restrict Kyiv’s access to other aid.