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This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Ukraine’s president announced a landmark agreement with a leading US company to jointly produce drones, including interceptors, as Kyiv seeks to boost its defense capabilities in the face of mounting Russian air attacks and waning support from the Trump administration.
“An agreement has been signed with the strong American company Swift Beat,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on his official Telegram channel as he began a visit to Denmark on July 3. “We are talking about hundreds of thousands of drones already this year and the possibility of significantly scaling up production next year.”
Swift Beat was founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmitt, who joined in a signing ceremony with Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The announcement comes as the Financial Times reported Zelenskyy is set for a phone call with US President Donald Trump on July 4, where the two leaders are expected to discuss Washington’s reported suspension of certain key weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Sources familiar with the situation told the newspaper the suspension affects Patriot interceptor missiles, Stinger MANPADS, precision artillery shells, over 100 Hellfire missiles, and AIM-series air-to-air missiles.
Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump were also set to hold a phone call July 3, their first publicly announced call in more than two weeks.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it had not received official notifications from Washington about changes to defense aid. Still, it confirmed it had requested a phone conversation with U.S. counterparts “to clarify details.”
Kyiv summoned the top US diplomat in Kyiv, John Hinkel, on July 2 to express concerns over the pause.
European allies have reacted with alarm.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned Ukraine “cannot do without partner support in the short term” and called for a “measured but firm” approach to sustaining aid. Poland’s defense chief, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, described Washington’s decision as “regrettable” and stressed that supporting Ukraine was “in Poland’s national interest.”
The Kremlin, by contrast, welcomed the reports.
“The fewer weapons sent to Ukraine, the sooner the special military operation will end,” Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 2, echoing Moscow’s longstanding position.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Denmark will include further talks on joint defense production and other measures to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian attacks.
“It’s a serious setback for Ukraine, for Europe, and for NATO if the US scales back on support for Kyiv,” Danish PM Mette Frederiksen said.
“I see no sign that Putin wants peace and I do not trust for a second that Putin intends to stop with Ukraine,” Frederiksen stressed.
Neither the White House nor Zelenskyy’s office formally confirmed the timing of the Trump call, which the FT said could still shift.
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