KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Congress in Kyiv on Monday that American decisions on arms shipments and intelligence sharing were “hard to explain” between friends, and he accused the Pentagon of delaying missiles that Ukraine’s partners have already paid for.
Zelenskyy met Senators Roger Wicker and Kevin Cramer and Representatives Marc Veasey and Dan Crenshaw as an air raid alert stayed in effect over the capital because of the threat of jet-powered Shahed drones, according to the Office of the President of Ukraine. He told the lawmakers Russia is not getting what it wants on the front lines and is making up for it by escalating attacks on cities.
In remarks posted in a video on Telegram and reported by Reuters, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received no advance warning of an attack from its partners on three occasions in the past week. He said one missile package was, to his knowledge, waiting for the signature of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“All of this suggests that some political decision has been made to slow down support for us.”
He also offered a trade. Ukraine is willing to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days, as President Donald Trump has demanded, if Washington supplies interceptors for the Patriot air-defense system, according to Reuters. Zelenskyy said he hoped a Ukrainian delegation would meet U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Norway in the coming days.
The president’s office said Zelenskyy pressed for the Lindsey Graham sanctions act to be put into effect and for faster licensing so Ukraine can produce Patriot interceptors, not only for its own needs but jointly with the United States and its allies.
“We share your sadness, and we share your outrage over these attacks. And we came because we want this visit to be seen as a sign of strong support – support from both Democrats and Republicans,” Wicker said, according to the president’s office.
Zelenskyy said Russian drones had damaged two schools in Kyiv this month alone and had struck bridges, energy sites and other critical infrastructure in the capital.
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