Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House as "good", with discussions focused on air defence systems. The Ukrainian leader also emphasised the need to revive diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia, now in its fifth year.
Following the talks, Zelensky attended the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, whom he called "a true friend of Ukraine". Graham's final political act included a visit to Kyiv to secure bipartisan support for sanctions targeting countries purchasing Russian oil, gas and other exports.
White House Meeting Details
In a post on X, Zelensky confirmed that he and Trump discussed the US president's recent Nato summit commitment to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, along with other proposals. Permission to produce the defence system had been a longstanding request from Kyiv to counter Russian rocket strikes.
"We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated," Zelensky added. The meeting also touched on allegations that Russia was providing Iran with satellite imagery to enable strikes on US bases in the Gulf region, though Trump downplayed any potential impact of such assistance.
Diplomatic Turnaround
The face-to-face talks mark a significant shift in relations, as Trump had previously labelled Zelensky a "dictator" and last year's Oval Office encounter saw the Ukrainian leader berated for perceived ingratitude over US aid. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump also met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Graham's funeral.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X that "both meetings were positive and productive".
UK Visit
Zelensky travelled to Washington after being hosted by Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Portsmouth naval base. Burnham said it was "no accident" that the Ukrainian president was his first international guest since taking office, pledging that the UK would support Ukraine "for as long as it takes".
