U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met at the White House on Wednesday (July 28) to discuss expanding defense cooperation and reviving diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine. The meeting, held behind closed doors before the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, lasted about an hour and focused on military support, defense production, and possible next steps in peace negotiations.
After the talks, Zelensky described the meeting as "good," saying he and Trump discussed licenses for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles and "several other ideas that could help." He added that both leaders agreed "the diplomatic process must be reinvigorated" and said their teams would continue coordinating. Trump later called it a "great honor" to host Zelensky, writing on Truth Social that "the meeting went very well."
The discussions built on agreements reached during the NATO summit earlier this month, when Trump approved Ukraine's long-standing request to manufacture U.S.-designed Patriot interceptors under license. Speaking later in a television interview, Zelensky confirmed that Trump had agreed to the licensing arrangement. However, he emphasized that Ukraine continues to face an immediate shortage of Patriot missiles and told U.S. senators that Kyiv still needs additional interceptors from the United States while domestic production is being established. According to people familiar with the closed-door meeting, Ukraine would purchase the missiles using European funding.
During his visit, Zelensky also met executives from Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of Patriot missiles, HIMARS launchers, ATACMS missiles and F-16-related systems. He said the discussions focused on expanding joint defense production and technology sharing, adding that both sides were already working on "specific solutions" to accelerate cooperation and strengthen Ukraine's air defenses.
Peace negotiations were also on the agenda. According to Ukrainian officials, Kyiv and Washington agreed to increase diplomatic contacts, while U.S. officials are preparing a revised framework for future negotiations with Russia. Media reports said the discussions included a possible air ceasefire proposal, although no details were made public.
Zelensky also met members of the U.S. Senate ahead of a vote on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Senators voted 86-12 to advance the bipartisan bill, which would impose tougher sanctions on Russia and countries that continue buying Russian energy exports. Zelensky welcomed the vote as a strong signal of continued American support.
The visit concluded with Trump and Zelensky attending Graham's funeral. The Republican senator, who died earlier this month, had been one of Ukraine's strongest supporters in Congress and had worked to build backing for tougher sanctions against Russia.
Source: commonspace.eu with AP News (New York) and Kyiv Independent (Kyiv).
