Trump hosts Zelensky for talks on war, U.S.-Ukraine cooperation
by Paul Godfrey · UPIJuly 28 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House, where the two leaders discussed Ukraine's air defenses and diplomacy.
Zelensky said the two leaders talked about Ukraine's access to Patriot missile interceptors and reviving diplomacy to end the war with Russia in Ukraine, CNN reported. He called it "a good meeting" on social media.
"It's important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated," he said. "Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication."
Zelensky also met with representatives from Lockheed Martin, one of the largest U.S. defense manufacters, on Tuesday at the White House, The Kyiv Post reported.
Zelensky said in a statement that Ukraine has been working with the company for years and is working toward a deeper partnership. They discussed "joint production and technology exchange" Tuesday, he said.
In a post on X shortly after he arrived in Washington on Monday night, Zelensky said the top priority for Ukraine was "anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America."
"Peace needs to be brought closer," wrote Zelensky.
The talks come days after a conference call between Zelensky and his negotiating team and Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on how to kickstart stalled diplomatic efforts to bring peace closer three weeks after a Trump-Zelensky meeting in Turkey.
Trump used the meeting on the sidelines of NATO's annual summit to praise the way Ukraine was prosecuting the war and announce that he wanted to give Ukraine rights to manufacture Patriot air-defense missiles.
A worldwide shortage of missiles for the U.S.-made Patriot air-defense batteries has degraded Ukraine's ability to defend itself amid a sustained Russian airborne campaign targeting Ukraine's cities with highly destructive ballistic missiles in recent months.
The Ukrainian president also offered his condolences on the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, calling him "a true friend of Ukraine." He attended Graham's funeral Tuesday at Washington National Cathedral.
Graham's death came just after a visit to Kyiv. He had just secured Trump's backing for a long-delayed bipartisan bill imposing tough new secondary sanctions targeting Russia that he introduced along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in the U.S. Senate in April 2025.
In recognition of Graham, his Senate colleagues vowed to expedite the passage of his Sanctioning Russia Act, albeit a version that waters down the 500% tariff he wanted imposed on the imports of countries that purchase Russian oil and natural gas.
A first procedural vote was scheduled for later Tuesday with Zelensky expected to meet with senators afterward.
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