Trump and Zelenskyy meet at White House ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham funeral

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham's funeral , with the two leaders discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and “other ideas that could help” in its ongoing war against Russia. The sit-down in the Oval Office, which was closed to the media, followed a consequential meeting at the NATO summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump announced that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot defense systems — a long-running request from Kyiv to counter Russian missile attacks. Taken together, those meetings underscore how much the U.S. president, once a major skeptic of continued assistance to Kyiv, has warmed to Zelenskyy as Ukraine continues to withstand the Russian barrage more than four years after Moscow's invasion in 2022. The Ukrainian leader, whose relationship with Trump in his second term was marked by a raucous White House visit in which he was denigrated for being ungracious, has worked to court the Republican administration while relyin

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham's funeral, with the two leaders discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and “other ideas that could help” in its ongoing war against Russia.

In a post on social media after the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the “good meeting” and the Republican administration's efforts to aid Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, ahead of the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. The meeting marked their second in-person discussion this month as Zelenskyy travelled to Washington to honour Graham, whose final official visit was to Kyiv, where he secured agreement on a sanctions package targeting countries that buy Russian oil, gas and other exports.Soon after arriving in the US, Zelenskyy said in a social media post that his “number one priority” is “anti-ballistic defence and strategic cooperation with America.”“Peace needs to be brought closer,” said Zelenskyy.A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the closed-door meeting, said Trump would focus on the “ongoing peace process” between Russia and Ukraine.Хороша зустріч із Президентом Трампом в Овальному кабінеті. Дякую за все, що ми робимо разом, щоб захистити життя українців і досягти миру. Передусім висловив Президенту Трампу наші співчуття у зв’язку зі смертю Ліндсі Грема. Він був справжнім другом України.Обговорили з…— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 28, 2026Trump and Zelenskyy had also met on the sidelines of the NATO summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump announced that the US would grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot air defence systems. Calling their ties positive, Trump said they had “actually developed a good relationship” and added that Ukraine would be able to produce the systems “pretty quickly.”Trump reflects on Graham as sanctions bill gains momentumSpeaking to Fox News Channel on Tuesday, Trump recalled Graham’s strong support for Ukraine, saying the South Carolina Republican’s position had never changed.“Ukraine he's very militant about,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.” “I mean, Lindsey liked war, to be honest with you.”Trump added that Graham had suggested it was time to strike a deal with Iran but had never made a similar proposal regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.Following Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral, Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet US senators at the Capitol on Tuesday evening. Republican leaders hope to advance Graham’s bipartisan sanctions legislation this week before the Senate breaks for its August recess.The bill, regarded as Graham’s principal legislative legacy after his death from an aortic tear, proposes tariffs on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas, including China and India. It also includes sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, financial institutions and energy projects.Also Watch:Loomer backs Ukraine after visit as Zelenskyy raises Iran concernsAhead of the White House meeting, Zelenskyy received unexpected support from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who travelled through Ukraine, met the Ukrainian president and later said she had been “bamboozled by Russian propaganda.”Loomer said she spoke with Trump after meeting Zelenskyy and expected to meet the US president again after returning from Ukraine.“It's looking good for Ukraine, right?” Loomer said during an interview with The Associated Press. “Going into this meeting next week at the Oval Office is looking pretty good.”Zelenskyy also alleged that Russia had been helping Iran by capturing satellite imagery of US bases in the Gulf region, claiming the images later appeared in Iran before attacks.Booker Prize 2026 Longlist Unveiled: Marlon James, Douglas Stuart & Elizabeth Strout Among Semifinalists“The purpose is clear,” Zelenskyy said earlier this month. “None of us in the world should turn a blind eye to one very simple fact: Evil always seeks ways to make things worse and spread further.”Trump, however, downplayed the allegation while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.“I don't think they've been doing it, certainly not at a high level,” Trump said. “And if they have, it has been very un-impactful.”He added that he intended to raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Tuesday ahead of Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral, with the two leaders discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and “other ideas that could help” in its continuing war against Russia. The sit-down in the Oval Office, which was closed to the media, followed a consequential meeting at the Nato summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump announced that the US will give Ukraine a licence...

President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, met behind closed doors for almost exactly one hour at the White House, huddling to discuss stalled peace talks with Russia as well as Zelensky's request for more American weapons.