Zelenskyy meets U.S. envoy Kellogg in Rome to talk arms, air defense, Russia sanctions

The president announced this on Telegram.

“I had a substantive conversation with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. I thanked him for participating in the Conference on Ukraine’s Recovery: the general leads the American delegation,” Zelenskyy said.

During the meeting, the parties discussed weapons supplies and strengthening Ukraine’s air defense.

"Amid increasing Russian attacks, this is one of our key priorities. We also talked about purchasing American weapons, joint defense production, and localizing manufacturing in Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

According to him, another focus was on tightening sanctions against Russia.

"We understand that tougher restrictions are needed against Russia’s energy sector, especially secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil. We hope to see progress on the bill proposed by Senators Graham and Blumenthal in the U.S. Congress. This is something that can definitely make Russia think more seriously about peace. We’re grateful to President Trump, both parties in Congress, and the entire American people for their help and support. We sincerely value the friendship between our nations," the head of state concluded.

Background

Earlier, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported that the meeting had started. 

Kellogg is part of the American delegation attending the International Conference on Ukraine’s Recovery, taking place in Italy on July 10–11.

Earlier, President Zelenskyy also held a meeting with Pope Leo XIV.

"I’m grateful for the meeting and a very substantive conversation with Pope Leo XIV. We deeply value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine. The Vatican’s offer to host leader-level talks aimed at stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace remains open and entirely feasible. At this point, only Moscow rejects this proposal—just like all other peace initiatives," the Ukrainian leader said.