Zelensky Social Media Account/HandoutPresident Donald Trump has held separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the White House described as “positive and productive”.
The two leaders were in Washington to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel and advocate for US aid to Ukraine, who died earlier this month.
Zelensky and Trump discussed Kyiv’s hope that the US would help bolster its air defences, although no formal commitment has so far been announced.
Netanyahu, for his part, arrived at a time when US-Israel ties have been frayed by diverging views on Iran.
Ukraine has long sought American Patriot missiles, which Kyiv says could be used to defend Ukrainian cities from escalating Russian drone and ballistic missile attacks across the country.
But the closed-door meeting ended without any firm announcement over US military assistance to Ukraine.
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In a post on X, Zelensky thanked Trump for “everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians”.
Zelensky added that the two discussed the Patriot licences and “several ideas that could help”.
“We also spoke about diplomacy,” he wrote. “It’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”
In a separate post, Zelensky said he met representatives of US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin to discuss “further development of our cooperation”.
“Ukraine has a lot to share with those who help us protect lives,” he added. “We spoke about our joint capabilities related to Patriots and other systems. Our teams are already working on specific solutions to move to co-production as quickly as possible and increase our capabilities to protect lives.”
Zelensky was also planning to meet a bipartisan group of senators who are moving forward with legislation to sanction buyers of Russian oil and gas to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
Maâayan Toaf (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)Netanyahu arrived at the White House shortly after Zelensky left.
The discussion between him and Trump was expected to focus heavily on the conflict in Iran.
Once-friendly ties between Trump and Netanyahu have become more tense in recent months, with Trump frequently criticising Israel for continuing strikes in Lebanon and ignoring a ceasefire.
Following the meeting, the prime minister told Israeli media that the two had “an understanding of a shared goal, to ensure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and other goals as well”.
“One of the best conversations I have had with the president of the United States,” he added.
A photograph of the two leaders shared on Netanyahu’s X account shows the two men seated in the Oval Office, smiling towards the camera.
