Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with a delegation from the U.S. defence company Raytheon, led by Vice President Joseph DeAntona. The company is among the manufacturers of Patriot air defence systems and the missiles used by them.
The president thanked Raytheon for its support in helping protect Ukrainian lives from Russia’s large-scale missile and drone attacks.
“We are very grateful to everyone at your outstanding company for this visit. We are grateful to President Trump and the people of the United States, and we appreciate the bipartisan support. We are proud to have such strong relations, and I hope we can take them even further,” Zelensky said.
The president stressed that strengthening Ukraine’s air defence remains the country’s top priority.
“I believe this is the number one issue not only for Ukraine, but for all of Europe and the entire world. We see what is happening in the Middle East and the scale of attacks that can be launched from Iranian territory. We understand that this is indeed a major challenge,” he added.
The meeting focused on future cooperation in strengthening Ukraine’s air defence capabilities. Zelensky welcomed Raytheon’s readiness to elevate the partnership by jointly producing missiles for Patriot systems in Ukraine.
He noted that he had discussed the issue in detail with U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting in Ankara and stressed that both sides should move forward with the initiative.
The discussions also covered other areas of cooperation, including non-offensive military equipment. Government officials and private sector representatives from both countries will continue working closely to develop these projects.
Raytheon Vice President Joseph DeAntona said the company sees significant potential for expanding cooperation with Ukraine in the field of ground-based air defence systems.
