Upon his return to Washington after signing the peace agreement for Gaza, Donald Trump confirmed that he will meet with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, marking his third visit to the United States since returning to power.
"I believe so," stated the U.S. President when asked if he would meet with the Ukrainian leader, who had announced the meeting on Monday afternoon. Zelensky had specified that "the main topic will be anti-aircraft defense," but he also plans to meet with companies in the energy sector.
Trump also mentioned that the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, could assist in resolving another conflict, such as ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In recent days, Russia has bombed Ukrainian energy infrastructures, causing power outages. On Monday, guided bomb attacks left 30,000 users without electricity in three districts of the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
Zelensky Discusses Air Defense with Stubb
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he has held discussions with Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb regarding the air defense needs of Ukraine following recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Zelensky added that he and Stubb were "coordinating their positions," as reported by Reuters.
Zelensky Denounces New Russian Bombings on Ukrainian Energy System
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced on his social media a new night of Russian bombings on Ukrainian infrastructures, railways, and other civilian facilities in the regions of Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Sumy, and Donetsk.
In the Kharkiv region (northeast), Russian forces dropped several aerial bombs that caused damage and left 57 injured at a clinic. The Russian Army also targeted energy infrastructure in that border region with Russia.
In the central Ukrainian region of Kirovohrad, Zelensky reported damages to railway infrastructure in two municipalities. Further north, in the northeastern Sumy region, energy and industrial facilities were targeted. The eastern Donetsk region, where the most intense hostilities are taking place, was also affected by the attacks.
"Every day, every night, Russia hits our power stations, our electricity distribution lines, and attacks our gas infrastructure," stated Zelensky.
Russia Shoots Down 40 Ukrainian Drones
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 40 fixed-wing drones over five regions of the country and the annexed Crimea peninsula last night, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense on their Telegram channel on Tuesday.
According to the military report, the highest number of interceptions occurred in the regions of Belgorod and Voronezh - both bordering Ukraine - where 17 and 12 drones were intercepted and destroyed, respectively, as reported by Efe.
The anti-aircraft defenses also downed two unmanned aircraft over Crimea and three over the Black Sea, which bathes the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. The remaining drones were destroyed over the regions of Nizhny Novgorod (3), Tambov (2), and Kursk (1).
Due to the attacks, Nizhny Novgorod airport, the capital of the homonymous region, suspended its operations for several hours.
Power Outages in Kharkiv: 30,000 Affected Users
In recent days, Ukraine has been the target of new waves of Russian bombings on its energy infrastructures, threatening to leave a large number of Ukrainians without electricity or heating as winter approaches.
On Monday, Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with guided bombs, leaving 30,000 customers without electricity in three districts, as reported by local officials.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov stated on local television that the bombs caused damage to a hospital and affected the power transmission lines. Nearly 30,000 customers were affected by the power outages.
Meeting to Discuss Air Defense
Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that he will meet with Trump in Washington on Friday, where they will discuss Ukraine's air defense and long-range attack capabilities.
"I will meet with President Trump in Washington this week," stated the Ukrainian leader on Monday afternoon at a press conference in Kiev alongside EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
"We need to discuss a series of measures that I want to propose to the President," he added, mentioning that he will also have "other meetings" with U.S. officials. In particular, he referred to meetings in the United States with representatives of "military companies" and Congress lawmakers.
"The main topic will be anti-aircraft defense, but I will also meet with companies in the energy sector," Zelensky continued.
Trump Confirms Meeting with Zelensky on Friday
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that he will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Friday at the White House, marking his third visit to the United States since returning to power.
"I believe so," responded the Republican on Monday to a journalist's question about meeting the Ukrainian leader on Friday at the White House, while returning to Washington from the Middle East in his attempt to end the war in Gaza.
The President also stated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could assist with another conflict, such as ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The leaders of the mediating countries between Israel and Hamas - United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey - signed an agreement in Egypt, ending two years of war in the Gaza Strip as the main mediators in the conflict since Hamas attacks against Israel in October 2023.