Olivia Gazis, covering intelligence and international security for CBS News, reports that Ukrainian Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna has observed a significant improvement in the relationship between Ukraine and the United States. Speaking at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on Thursday, Stefanishyna noted that the "overall dynamics" between Kyiv and Washington have shifted positively.

In the past six weeks alone, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in two phone calls and three meetings with President Trump, including one earlier this week. Stefanishyna credited recent personnel changes at the State Department and White House for facilitating this progress, stating they have "helped the process."

Highlighting the turnaround since a previously contentious Oval Office meeting, Stefanishyna said, "Ukraine should be this success case for President Trump." Ukraine has moved from seeking military, political, and moral support to delivering concrete results for the Trump administration, particularly in defense industrial cooperation and Patriot missile system production.

Regarding air defense, Stefanishyna mentioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's presence at the Oval Office meeting. While no "firm commitments" have been made for additional air defenses before winter, discussions are ongoing about long-term procurement deals and potential missile swaps with countries that already have contracts in place.

She also addressed a recent Ukrainian strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, describing it as "unintentional" and followed swiftly by diplomatic outreach, emphasizing that Kyiv was "not willing to escalate the situation."

Plans to produce Patriot interceptors in Ukraine are advancing, with current timelines estimated between 12 months and five years, though Ukraine believes it can accelerate this schedule.

Stefanishyna further stated that Ukraine has been able to counter what she characterized as a prior, erroneous narrative that Russia was winning the war, which has now entered its fifth year.

Sources