Discussions included joint production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine to bolster defence against Russian aerial attacks.
Published On 28 Jul 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he held a “good meeting†with his United States counterpart Donald Trump at the White House, discussing plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors and a revival of peace talks with Russia.
Zelenskyy met Trump privately in the Oval Office on Tuesday, before a service honouring late US Senator Lindsey Graham in the afternoon, the latest sign that the once-frosty relationship between them has significantly improved in recent months.
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“We talked with the president about licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine,†Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Earlier this month, Trump agreed to allow Ukraine to jointly produce Patriot air defence interceptors, a crucial component of the country's defence against Russian aerial attacks.
The Ukrainian president said talks also focused on reviving diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia, now in its fifth year.
The meeting with Trump lasted just over an hour, according to US media. It came on the same day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also at the White House for talks with the US president.
Trump said the meetings with Zelenskyy and Netanyahu were positive, adding that he discussed “many important subjects†with them.
Following Graham's funeral, the Ukrainian leader spoke for nearly an hour with US senators before entering the Senate chamber to witness a key vote on a bipartisan package of new sanctions on Russia.
Graham had long championed the measure and announced Trump's support just days before his death.
“With this vote, we are going to show Putin he can't bully Ukraine,†US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. “America stands behind Ukraine.â€
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that both encounters were “positive and productiveâ€.
Kyiv and Washington are also moving closer to a deal on joint drone production, which could help the US catch up with Ukraine in an important military technology.
Ukraine is on track to produce six to seven million short-range attack drones this year, while the Pentagon's $1.1bn production programme is expected to have ordered nearly 200,000 drones by February 2027.
There's been a significant improvement in the countries' relationship since a disastrous meeting in February last year, during which Trump and US Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy, claiming he was insufficiently grateful for US support.
The Trump administration has sharply curtailed new military assistance to Ukraine, leaving Europe as Kyiv's main source of financial and military support.
The US has continued to act as a mediator in the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, diplomatic efforts have slowed recently as Washington focused on other foreign policy priorities.
Trump and Zelenskyy met several times in recent weeks, including at the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month and at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains in mid-June.
At both meetings, the two leaders reaffirmed their support for closer cooperation on the war.
