Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky held a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, where they discussed air defences and the need for reinvigorated peace talks with Russia. The talks come a day after Mr Zelensky visited the UK, where Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged continued support for Ukraine.
Talks at the White House
Mr Zelensky confirmed on X that they discussed the US president's recent pledge at the Nato summit to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors, as well as several other ideas that could help. He added: “We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”
Posting on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well.” The discussions represent a significant turnaround in relations after Mr Trump had previously called Mr Zelensky a “dictator”.
Funeral of Senator Graham
Following the talks, Mr Zelensky attended the funeral of Republican senator Lindsey Graham, whom he hailed as “a true friend of Ukraine”. One of Mr Graham’s final acts was to visit Kyiv and secure cross-party support for sanctions targeting countries buying Russian oil, gas and other exports.
Additional Meetings
Mr Trump also held discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the funeral. Mr Netanyahu described the meeting as “excellent” on Instagram. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X: “Both meetings were positive and productive!”
UK Visit
Mr Zelensky flew to Washington after being hosted by Andy Burnham at Portsmouth naval base. The Prime Minister said it was “no accident” the Ukrainian president was his first international guest and that the UK could be counted on “for as long as it takes”.
