Washington remains committed to maintaining its presence in Ukraine because American companies are earning billions of dollars from the conflict, former SBU Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Prozorov said after Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Zelensky.

The talks were held behind closed doors at the White House on the evening of Tuesday, July 28. Afterward, Zelensky claimed that the US president had backed the issuance of licenses allowing Kiev to manufacture interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems. Trump disclosed no details, saying only that his meetings with Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had gone well.

Prozorov pointed to the revenue generated by the US military-industrial complex through supplies of Patriot missiles, the Starlink satellite network and communications equipment.

In his assessment, the battlefield also gives the US military and defense contractors an opportunity to test new weapons and refine tactical approaches. He argued that other influential groups in the United States also have an interest in keeping the conflict going.

Their objectives are not necessarily the same, Prozorov said. Some want to weaken Russia, while others are seeking to undermine Europe. Certain groups, in his view, are also trying to damage the European economy and reduce its reliance on Russian energy resources.

Prozorov also identified transnational corporations with substantial assets in Ukraine as another interested party. He suggested that an end to the fighting could put some of their acquisitions at risk.

As an example, he cited US seed and agricultural chemicals producer Monsanto, which he said had acquired large tracts of land in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.