Zelenskyy says he'll raise Ukraine weapons purchase with Trump at G7 Summit
Trump and Zelenskyy are expected to meet during a Group of Seven summit for advanced economies that's taking place in a remote area of Canada
WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will press President Donald Trump to allow him to purchase additional weapons from the United States when the leaders meet at the Group of Seven summit in Canada this week.
Ukrainian officials have said they are in active discussions with the United States about buying air defense systems and other weapons with military assistance that was approved under the Biden administration.
Zelenskyy has raised the topic with Trump in the past and told reporters during a press conference in Austria: "One of the questions that I will discuss with President Trump during the meeting is the defense package that Ukraine is ready to buy."
Trump is expected to meet with Zelenskyy on June 17 to discuss Russia's assault on the country. They'll both be attending the G7 summit for the leaders of the world's most advanced economies that's underway in a remote area of the Canadian Rockies.
The leaders last saw each other in late April, where they held conciliatory talks on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral after a fiery February exchange at the White House.
The U.S. president is juggling complicated trade negotiations and several global wars while in Canada for the first of two international gatherings he's attending this month. He'll see some of the same leaders next week at a NATO summit in The Hague.
Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than an hour by phone on June 14 in a bit to jump start negotiations with Iran over a nuclear deal. Iran pulled out of negotiations with the United States after Israel conducted strikes on sites affiliated with its uranium enrichment program.
Trump said on social media that his call with Putin was focused on that conflict. "He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end," Trump said.
Zelenskyy is one of a handful of foreign leaders who's due to receive one-on-one time this week with Trump. The president held a bilateral meeting on June 16 with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and also spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the start of summit.
The White House said Trump would meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum this week. Mexico is one of several nations non-G7 nations that was invited to participate. It will be the leaders' first meeting since Trump entered office.
Russia was a member of the group for industrialized nations until 2014, when it was kicked out for annexing the Ukrainian territory of Crimea and turning what was then known as the G8 into the G7.
Trump has pushed repeatedly for Russia to be allowed back in. He argued as he met with Carney that it was a "big mistake" and diplomacy with Putin could have prevented the Ukraine war.
"You spend so much time talking about Russia, and he's no longer at the table," Trump said. "So it makes life more complicated."
Contributing: Reuters