President Donald Trump remains hopeful about an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday in Turkey.
Trump called with both Zelenskyy and Putin on July 4, but Russia continues to strike Kyiv.
The president noted that the U.S. would allow Patriot defense systems to be built in Ukraine in order to allow it to fight back against Russia.
"One of the things we're gonna be talking about is we're gonna give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool, right?” Trump told Zelenskyy.
“We haven't informed the company of that yet, but that'll work out alright. I'm sure they'll be thrilled,” he added.
During a press conference on Wednesday, the concept of the Ukrainian leader visiting Moscow was floated, with Trump asking Zelenskyy if he would visit the Russian city, which Zelensky joked, “It's difficult. There are lots of Ukrainian drones.”
President Trump: Would you go to Moscow?
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 8, 2026
President Zelenskyy: It's difficult. There are a lot of Ukrainian drones there. It's dangerous. https://t.co/kJ0mR4bniM pic.twitter.com/s7Mp8PpTa2
When asked about a security guarantee for Ukraine, Trump said that there is “an ocean separating” the U.S. from the Eastern European nation, but said that the goal is to “save lives,” as the war has now dragged on for years with hundreds of thousands of casualties.
“If this kind of brainpower can go toward rebuilding the country instead of fighting a war, I think that country's going to do fantastically well,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that the “dynamics” of the war have shifted recently, noting that “Russians are finding it more difficult to defend their own airspace.”
“And what we hope that means is that's going to create the space now to negotiate the end of this war,” Rubio continued.
We can accomplish a great deal together.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 8, 2026
____
Можемо багато зробити разом.
🇺🇦 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/k0v70QPIf6
In a Truth Social post after the news conference, Trump wrote that “It went very well. Everybody is looking for a solution. Very positive!” Zelenskyy also struck a positive tone, posting a photo of him and Trump on Wednesday captioned “We can accomplish a great deal together.”