President Donald Trump met separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their visits to Washington, D.C. The White House characterized the discussions as "positive and productive."
Both leaders were in the U.S. to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent supporter of both Israel and aid to Ukraine. Zelensky's agenda included discussions on bolstering Ukraine's air defense capabilities. He sought U.S. assistance, particularly a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, which Kyiv believes are crucial for defending against Russian drone and ballistic missile attacks.
While the meetings concluded without formal commitments on additional military aid for Ukraine, Zelensky reported progress in discussions with Trump regarding Patriot licenses and "several ideas that could help." He also emphasized the importance of revitalizing diplomatic efforts. Following his meeting with Trump, Zelensky met with representatives from Lockheed Martin to discuss "further development of our cooperation" and explore co-production of defense systems, including Patriots.
Netanyahu's visit occurred amid strains in U.S.-Israel relations, stemming from differing perspectives on Iran. The discussions aimed to address these divergences and reinforce bilateral ties.
Zelensky was also slated to meet with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators to discuss legislation targeting buyers of Russian oil and gas as a measure to counter Moscow's actions in Ukraine.