Trump agrees to work with Kyiv on strengthening air defences, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday he agreed with US counterpart Donald Trump to work to strengthen Ukraine's air defences, as concerns mounted in Kyiv over continued US military aid deliveries.

"We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies," Zelensky said on social media after speaking on the phone with Trump.

"We had a detailed conversation about defense industry capabilities and joint production. We are ready for direct projects with the United States and believe this is critically important for security, especially when it comes to drones and related technologies," he said. 

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The announcement comes after Kyiv raised concerns following a US decision to halt shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.

Diplomacy 'not possible'

Russia on Friday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling the war-torn country with its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion.

The hours-long bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a breakthrough.

Trump also said he had made no progress in discussions with Putin on ending more than three years of bitter fighting since the Kremlin ordered its troops into neighbouring Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Friday it was "preferable" to achieve the goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means.

"But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing, referring to Russia's invasion.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)