US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House on Tuesday ahead of the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, and discussed ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons as it continues to fight Russia. The closed-door Oval Office meeting also covered what Zelenskyy described as “other ideas that could help”.
The meeting followed an earlier encounter at the NATO summit in Ankara this month, where Trump announced that the US would give Ukraine a licence to make Patriot defence systems, a long-standing request from Kyiv to help counter Russian missile attacks. Zelenskyy is also in Washington to honour Graham and is scheduled to meet senators later on Tuesday as Republican leaders try to move forward with Graham’s sanctions legislation.
In a social media post after the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the “good meeting” and the administration’s support for Kyiv in the war, which began more than four years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine. “The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help,” Zelenskyy said. He also said he offered condolences to Trump over Graham’s death, adding: “We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said both the Zelenskyy meeting and a separate later meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were “positive and productive”. Trump welcomed Zelenskyy as the Ukrainian leader travelled to Washington to pay tribute to Graham, whose final public act was a visit to Kyiv where he secured an agreement on a package of sanctions aimed at countries buying Russian oil, gas and other exports.
In an interview with Fox News Channel on Tuesday, Trump recalled Graham’s hawkish views and said the South Carolina senator’s support for Ukraine never weakened. Trump said Graham had suggested it was time to make a deal with Iran but had made no similar suggestion on the Russia-Ukraine war. “Ukraine, he’s very militant about,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends”. “I mean, Lindsey liked war, to be honest with you.”
The administration’s warming approach towards Zelenskyy has also come as far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is known for her social media posts and influence with Trump, has publicly shifted her position on the war. Loomer has been travelling through Ukraine, seeing Russian attacks firsthand and interviewing Zelenskyy, while saying she was “bamboozled by Russian propaganda”. She said she spoke to Trump after meeting Zelenskyy in Ukraine last week and expected to meet the US president after returning. “It’s looking good for Ukraine, right?” Loomer said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Going into this meeting next week at the Oval Office is looking pretty good.”
Before the White House meeting, Zelenskyy warned that Russia had been helping Iran during the war by obtaining satellite images of US bases in the Gulf that later appeared in Iran. He said there was a “clear correlation” between Russia’s images and later Iranian strikes. “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.” On Monday, however, Trump played down any possible Russian assistance to Iran. “I don’t think they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level,” he told reporters on Air Force One while travelling to Michigan. “And if they have, it has been very un-impactful.” He added that he would raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy’s Washington visit also includes a trip to the Capitol to meet senators on Tuesday evening after Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorised to speak publicly. Republican leaders hope to advance Graham’s sanctions bill this week, although the Senate is handling several other priorities before the August recess. The bill, backed by dozens of lawmakers from both parties and seen as the main policy tribute to Graham after his death from a tear in his aorta this month, would impose tariffs on goods from the five biggest buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India, and also includes sanctions on Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, and Russian financial institutions and energy projects. Overall, Tuesday’s developments brought together talks on military support for Ukraine, diplomatic efforts and Graham’s final policy push on Russia.
With PTI Inputs
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