1. US President Donald Trump has held talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and called on him to stop buying Russian oil. Trump appears to be aiming for a breakthrough in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by obtaining Turkey’s cooperation. The country is a NATO member, but also geographically near Russia and Ukraine, and has close relations with both of them.
2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told an American news outlet he has received support from the US. He said President Donald Trump backs him up carrying out retaliatory strikes against Russian energy targets and arms factories. News site Axios released the interview on Thursday. In it, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces are seeking additional long-range weaponry from Washington and that, if they get it, they “will use it.” He added that this should serve as a warning to leaders in Moscow. Zelenskyy said, “They have to know where their bomb shelters are. If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case.”
3. Ukrainian officials have appealed for Japanese investment in defense and other industries to help the country rebuild from the destruction caused by Russian attacks. Organizations including the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Japan held an investment forum in Tokyo on Thursday. A senior official of the Ukrainian government’s investment promotion office outlined forms of preferential treatment, such as one related to corporate taxation. The deputy of Ukraine’s Sumy regional council stressed that investment will be needed in various fields to revitalize the economy after the fighting ends.