Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, October 17 he had met with officials from the U.S. company making the Tomahawk missiles and Patriot systems that Kyiv claims it needs to bolster its defenses against Russia.
Zelensky took to social media, claiming
We discussed Raytheon’s production capacity, potential avenues for our cooperation to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence and long-range capabilities, and the prospects for Ukrainian-American joint production.
Senior Ukrainian officials accompanying the president, including Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, also held meetings with executives from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin earlier in the week. Raytheon produces the long-range Tomahawk missiles that Trump has considered sending to Ukraine.
Svyrydenko also held talks with U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent to discuss joint investment and cooperation on energy issues.
The meetings come ahead of Zelensky’s scheduled meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump at the White House. Both leaders confirmed they would discuss Tomahawk cruise missiles and Ukraine potentially acquiring U.S. Patriot air defense systems.
Russia has warned that sending the missiles risks further escalation in the region.
