Trump, Zelenskyy discuss Patriot licence and weapons push at White House

Trump and Zelenskyy met at the White House to discuss Patriot production, missiles and diplomacy. The talks signalled warmer ties and Ukraine's push for immediate arms and tougher sanctions on Russia.

In Short

• The leaders also discussed diplomacy and reviving stalled peace efforts
• US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to visit Kyiv
• Zelenskyy met Lockheed Martin to expand defence production and technology sharing

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House on Tuesday ahead of Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral, discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and other steps that could help its war effort against Russia. After the closed-door Oval Office meeting, Zelenskyy said the two leaders also discussed diplomacy, while Trump described it as a "Great Honour" and said, "Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well!"

The meeting came after the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month, where Trump announced that the US would give Ukraine a licence to make Patriot defence systems, a long-standing demand from Kyiv as it faces Russian missile attacks. US officials also agreed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's main envoys, would travel to Kyiv at a later date, according to a person familiar with the talks.

The latest engagement reflects a change in Trump's approach to Zelenskyy as the war continues more than four years after Russia's 2022 invasion. Their relationship had been strained during an earlier White House meeting in Trump's second term, when Zelenskyy was criticised for being ungracious. Since then, the Ukrainian president has tried to build ties with the Republican administration, while also leaning on both expected and unexpected allies in Trump's circle.

The wider regional picture has also become linked to the Ukraine war. Over the weekend, Ukraine fired on at least one Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, while Zelenskyy has said Russia has been offering satellite imagery of US bases in the Persian Gulf to Iran. In a social media post after Tuesday's meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the "good meeting" and for the administration's efforts to help Kyiv. "The President and I discussed licences for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help," Zelenskyy said. "We also spoke about diplomacy -- it's important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated." He also said he had offered condolences to Trump over Graham's death.

Later in his one-day visit to Washington, Zelenskyy said he had met officials from Lockheed Martin to discuss more cooperation in defence production and technology-sharing. "Ukraine has a lot to share with those who help us protect lives," he said. He later met senators at the Capitol, where he again pressed Ukraine's case for Patriot interceptors and for a sweeping sanctions bill aimed at hurting morale and increasing pressure on Russia, according to two people with direct knowledge of the private discussion.

According to one of those people, Zelenskyy told senators that while Ukraine welcomed Trump's decision to allow Patriot production, that was a longer-term solution. For this year, he said, Ukraine would need the US to provide missiles that Kyiv would pay for with European funds. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who was also in Washington for Graham's funeral, told senators that Ukraine continued to have strong support from NATO and the European Union both in supplying and paying for weapons and in imposing sanctions on Russia.

Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said increasing production capacity for Patriot interceptors was important not only for Ukraine, but also for the US and its Gulf allies, especially when supplies were under pressure during the war in Iran. "Ukraine has shown that its defence industry is capable, innovative and creative," Coffey said. "I have no doubt that when they're granted the licence, they will be able to produce these missiles which will hopefully mean there will be more available for the US."

Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to Washington as the Ukrainian leader came to honour Graham, whose final act as a public official was to visit Kyiv and secure agreement on a sanctions package targeting countries that buy Russian oil, gas and other exports. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said Graham's support for Ukraine had never faded. "Ukraine, he's very militant about," Trump said on "Fox & Friends". "I mean, Lindsey liked war, to be honest with you." The administration's warmer approach to Zelenskyy has also come as far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has influence with Trump, has recently changed her stance on Russia's war against Ukraine.

Before meeting Trump, Zelenskyy also said Russia had been helping Iran by obtaining satellite imagery of US bases in the Gulf region that later appeared in Iran. He said there was a "clear correlation" between Russia's images and later Iranian strikes. Iran has been a key ally of Russia in the war and has helped Moscow develop its drone capabilities. However, Trump on Monday played down the significance of any Russian help for Iran, saying, "I don't think they've been doing it, certainly not at a high level," and, "And if they have, it has been very un-impactful."

After the Caspian Sea attack, the foreign ministers of Iran and Ukraine spoke, according to social media posts on Tuesday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the exchange as "frank" and said Ukraine's focus was "solely at defending our country from Russian aggression" and not on targeting civilians. Iran said at least one sailor had been killed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was also not seeking escalation but "made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable."

Zelenskyy's Capitol meeting took place just before a key Senate vote on the Russia sanctions bill and after Graham's funeral. According to one person with direct knowledge, Zelenskyy told senators there was a window to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. In an 86-12 bipartisan vote, the Senate took the first steps towards passing the legislation after more than a year of talks. The bill, seen as the main policy tribute to Graham after his death this month from a tear in his aorta, would impose tariffs on goods from the top five buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India, and would also sanction Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, and Russian financial institutions and energy projects.

Tuesday's meetings showed Ukraine trying to secure immediate military supplies, expand long-term defence production and push for tougher sanctions on Russia, while also tying the war more closely to wider tensions involving Iran and the Gulf.

With PTI Inputs

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