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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and the United States have reached an agreement to expand joint cooperation in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production, following what he described as a productive phone call with US President Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy shared the development in his traditional evening video message, evaluating developments in the Russia-Ukraine war over the past week. .
Referring to his recent phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy described it as “probably the best and most productive conversation of all these times.”
He said they discussed Ukraine’s urgent air defense needs and agreed to intensify cooperation in UAV development.
"This week, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine signed an agreement with one of the leading American companies," Zelenskyy said.
He added, "We also agreed to significantly expand joint work with the American side regarding UAVs. This will provide Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of drones under special conditions this year, and significantly more next year. Especially, preventive UAVs are our clear priority."
Zelenskyy also confirmed that Ukraine signed a separate agreement with Denmark to launch joint weapons production.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian air defense systems shot down 112 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over Russian regions, including Moscow.
The ministry's statement indicated that Ukraine conducted drone attacks on Russian territory. From 11:00 PM local time yesterday until 9:40 AM today, 112 UAVs were shot down by Russian air defense systems.
The drones were intercepted over Moscow and the regions of Voronezh, Bryansk, Ryazan, Belgorod, Saratov, Novgorod, Kursk, Leningrad, Oryol, Rostov, Smolensk, Penza, Tula, as well as the Chuvash Autonomous Republic affiliated with Russia.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced via his Telegram channel that work was being conducted at locations where debris from the downed drones had fallen.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible without addressing what he called the root causes of the crisis.
Speaking alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Moscow, Lavrov said, "We cannot be satisfied with a solution that does not take into account Russia’s interests in the security domain."
Lavrov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine crisis with US President Trump in a recent phone call.
"The rights of Russian citizens and Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine must be guaranteed," he added.
Lavrov expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s "balanced approach" to the crisis and said Russia remains open to further dialogue, including in Riyadh.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi warned that Russia may be preparing a new offensive in the Kharkiv region.
"I dedicated two days to working with units in Kharkiv region," Syrskyi wrote on Telegram, noting that Russia continues to apply pressure with large numbers of troops and equipment.
"We have to be ready, use appropriate tactical and technological solutions not to allow the (Russians) to move forward," he said.
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