Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that he met with representatives of the American company that manufactures the Patriot missiles and Tomahawkwhich Kiev is seeking to acquire in order to defend against Russian invasion.

“We discussed Raytheon’s production capacity, possible ways of cooperation to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and long-range capabilities, as well as the possibility of joint Ukrainian-American production,” Zelensky said on social media.

These missiles will allow the Ukrainian army to carry out strikes deeper into Russian soilas Moscow, as winter approaches, steps up its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

The meeting took place before today’s scheduled conversation between the Ukrainian president and his American counterpart Donald Trump, whom Zelensky wants to convince to deliver Tomahawk missiles to his country.

In another post on X, Zelensky noted that he also met with representatives of Lockheed Martin.

“I presented Ukraine’s specific needs for air defense systems and the corresponding missiles, as well as for F-16 aircraft,” he added.

On Thursday, Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned that the Tomahawk delivery to Kiev would “significantly damage” Russian-American relations and prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

After this phone call, Trump estimated that the US cannot reduce its own stockpile of Tomahawks.

According to a senior Ukrainian official, US arms manufacturers “need a political message” in order to start delivering equipment to Kiev.