UKRAINNIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky held closed-door talks with US counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, as Kyiv sought fresh diplomatic and military support in its fight against Russia.
Zelensky spent just over an hour with Trump, and while no details were immediately released, the talks came with Kyiv and Moscow intensifying long-range strikes and US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war stalled.
Relations between Zelensky and Trump have warmed since the start of the US president’s second term, with Trump this month offering Kyiv licenses to produce Patriot air defense missiles and suggesting Ukrainian strikes inside Russia could help end the war.
More than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Zelensky is pushing for fresh supplies of anti-ballistic missiles, and a discussion on ways to revive diplomacy, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer,” Zelensky said on X after arriving in the United States.
Last month was the deadliest for Ukraine civilians since April 2022, according to the United Nations, as Russia increased its use of difficult-to-intercept ballistic missiles.
“It is crucial that Washington approve the purchase of a package of Patriot missiles. That is super important,” the Ukrainian official said.
Zelensky also plans to attend a memorial ceremony for Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Ukraine supporter who died unexpectedly this month at age 71.
Since returning to power early last year, Trump has ended direct deliveries of US arms to Kyiv in favor of a program allowing European countries to buy weapons for Ukraine.
Washington nevertheless remains a major ally, supplying intelligence and access to the Starlink satellite system used for battleground communications.
Relations between the two leaders have recovered since their extraordinary Oval Office confrontation in February 2025, when Trump accused Zelensky of ingratitude and “gambling with World War III.”
At their latest meeting in Turkey this month, Trump praised Zelensky for doing “an amazing job” and offered Kyiv licenses to manufacture Patriot missiles.
Zelensky spoke last week with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about how to “reinvigorate diplomacy” after the Middle East war pushed Ukraine talks down Washington’s agenda.
Previous US mediation efforts foundered over Ukrainian territory claimed by Russia.
After the White House meeting and Graham memorial, Zelensky was expected to address senators at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT), shortly before an initial procedural vote on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill.
Graham had spent more than a year championing the measure and reached an agreement with the White House on revised legislation shortly before his death.
The bill has 62 Senate co-sponsors, but some Democrats are uneasy about provisions that would expand Trump’s power to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian energy.