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Morning opening: Ukraine eyes 10 Patriot systems, direct meeting with Putin
Jakub Krupa
Ukraine is looking to secure funding for 10 Patriot air defence systems under the deal agreed with US president Donald Trump, with active diplomatic efforts to find sponsors for all of them, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Previously Germany suggested it could pay for two systems, with Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden among other European countries declaring their support for the initiative.
In comments released to journalists on Friday, Zelenskyy also insisted he “listened and responded adequately” to concerns over the anti-graft law, with the new bill now being proposed to resolve concerns about the anti-corruption agencies’ independence.
He also admitted that there should “probably have been more of a dialogue” before the original law was adopted, AFP noted.
The president added:
“I am focused on the issue of the war because right now, the number one issue in Ukraine is the war. The biggest problem is the war. The main enemy is Russia.”
Zelenskyy suggested that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators started discussing a direct meeting between him and Putin in another bid to end the conflict.
“In talks with us, they have begun to discuss it. This is already progress toward some kind of meeting format.”
Elsewhere, I will be looking at the E3 meeting of the UK, France and Germany on Gaza and Palestine, which will surely attract more attention after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, pledged to recognise the state of Palestine in September.
Separately, Baltic defence ministers are meeting with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, as we also await updates on the much-awaited EU-US trade deal.
I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today.
It’s Friday, 25 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
