On Tuesday, the Ukrainian president stressed the need for his country to strengthen its air defense capabilities.
This was said by Volodymyr Zelensky in a conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in Davos, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, while Kiev is seeking international support for its fight to repel the Russian invasion, which is approaching its second anniversary.
"We are determined to maintain our support for Ukraine and we are working closely with Congress on that issue," Blinken said at the meeting with Zelensky, adding that he knew American counterparts in Europe would do the same.
Blinken's statement comes at a time when negotiations in the US Congress on the approval of a new large package of aid to Ukraine, proposed by the administration of the President of the United States of America (USA) Joseph Biden, are stalling.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is also in Davos, assured the Ukrainian president that the US and its allies are determined to ensure "that Russia loses and Ukraine wins".
Zelenski thanked the Biden administration and bipartisan support in the US Congress.
"We really count on your support, on the continuation of your enormous support," added Zelenski.
He mentioned the American Patriot system, which has helped Ukraine in air defense to improve its defense against Russian missiles.
Since the beginning of this year, Ukraine has been subject to many unusually intense Russian airstrikes.
"I informed the (NATO) Secretary General about the recent large-scale Russian airstrikes and emphasized the need to further strengthen Ukraine's air defenses. We also discussed other defense needs," Zelensky wrote on X.
Zelenski added that he and Stoltenberg discussed preparations for the key NATO summit in July in Washington.
"I emphasized that Ukraine is anticipating decisions that will bring it closer to membership in the Alliance," Zelensky wrote.
Zelenski, who in previous years addressed the meeting in Davos via video link, is scheduled to personally deliver a key address at the Swiss forum later on Tuesday.
Before her speech, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned those present in Davos that while Ukraine may "prevail" in the war, "we must continue to strengthen their resistance."
"Ukrainians need predictable funding through 2024 and beyond. They need a sufficient and constant supply of weapons to defend Ukraine and reclaim the territory that belongs to it," she added.
Upon his arrival in Bern on January 15, Zelenski spoke with the Swiss president, Viola Amherd.
After the conversation, he said that Ukrainian representatives had started preparations for holding a global peace summit in Switzerland.
The summit should take into account "everything that has already been achieved" and establish that the end of the war "should be extremely fair" according to international law, Zelenski said at a joint press conference with Viola Amherd.
Neither Zelenski nor Amherd provided details on when and where the summit could be held in Switzerland.
Switzerland has agreed to host the summit at Zelenskiy's request, a Swiss government source said, adding that details are being worked out.
Zelensky said the plans would require "all countries that respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity" to be represented at the peace summit.
"It is important for us to show that the whole world is against Russia's aggression, and the whole world is for a just peace," he said.
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