The talks included co-producing Patriot missiles in Ukraine to strengthen defenses against Russian air strikes.
Published July 28, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had a “good meeting” with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, where they discussed Ukraine’s program to build Patriot interceptors and the revival of peace talks with Russia.
Mr. Zelensky met privately with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday before a memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham was held in the afternoon. It’s the latest sign that a once-frozen relationship has improved significantly in recent months.
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“I have discussed with the president the license to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
Earlier this month, President Trump agreed to allow Ukraine to co-produce Patriot air defense interceptors, a key element of Ukraine’s defense against Russian airstrikes.
Ukraine’s president said negotiations also focused on reviving diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia, now in its fifth year.
According to US media, the meeting with President Trump lasted for just over an hour. It came on the same day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also visited the White House for talks with the US president.
Trump said his meetings with Zelensky and Netanyahu were positive, adding that he discussed “many important topics” with them.
After Graham’s funeral, the Ukrainian leader met with U.S. senators for nearly an hour before entering the Senate chamber to witness a key vote on a bipartisan sanctions package against Russia.
Mr. Graham had long supported the measure and endorsed Mr. Trump just days before his death.
“This vote shows President Putin that he cannot bully Ukraine,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. “America is standing behind Ukraine.”
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told the X show that the meeting between the two sides was “positive and productive.”
Kiev and the United States are also nearing an agreement on joint production of drones, which could help the United States catch up with Ukraine in critical military technology.
Ukraine is expected to produce 6 million to 7 million short-range attack drones this year, and the Pentagon’s $1.1 billion production plan is expected to order nearly 200,000 drones by February 2027.
Relations between the two countries have improved significantly since a disastrous meeting in February last year, when President Trump and Vice President Vance blasted Zelenskiy, saying he did not fully appreciate U.S. aid.
The Trump administration has sharply cut new military aid to Ukraine, making Europe the main source of Kiev’s financial and military support.
The United States has continued to play a mediating role in the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
But diplomatic efforts have slowed recently as Washington focused on other foreign policy priorities.
President Trump and President Zelenskiy have 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 close war cooperation.
