Ukraine's Zelensky requests additional US air defense ammunition from Trump amid Russian escalation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote to US President Donald Trump and Congress requesting more American-made air defense ammunition to counter intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks, according to Kyiv on Wednesday. The request follows a recent escalation in aerial attacks by both sides in the four-year-old war that began with Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. US taxpayer dollars fund the bulk of Ukraine's military aid, making American defense production capacity and policy decisions directly consequential to the war's trajectory. The move reflects Ukraine's continued dependence on US military support to sustain its defense against Russian strikes.