Trump Hosts Ukraines Zelenskyy for White House Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy both reported positive discussions out of a White House meeting on July 28.“Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace,” Zelenskyy said in a statement following the meeting.Zelenskyy said the two discussed efforts to advance a licensing agreement for Ukraine to domestically produce new Patriot air-defense systems, which they’ve routinely requested throughout more than four years of fighting against Russian invasion forces.“We also spoke about diplomacy—it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication,” Zelenskyy said.The Ukrainian president is also in Washington to attend the memorial of late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who passed away on July 11 from a tear in his aorta.Graham was a staunch supporter of Ukraine, seeking tougher sanctions against Russia in a bid to bring the war to a close.One of Graham’s final acts in office was after returning from a trip to Kyiv, on July 10, announcing new bipartisan legislation called the Sanctioning Russia Act, which had been under negotiation for months with the White House and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Zelenskyy said he shared his condolences for Graham’s passing during his meeting with Trump.Trump also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.“Both meetings were positive and productive!” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement at the conclusion of the two meetings.Ahead of the meeting, Zelenskyy had warned that Moscow was aiding Tehran by sharing satellite images of U.S. bases in Gulf states—specifically two bases in Bahrain, one in Jordan, and one in Kuwait on July 19 and 20.“There is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes—both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted,” Zelenskyy said in a July 25 presidential address.“The purpose is clear. 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 July 27, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he would ask Russian President Vladimir Putin about Zelenskyy’s allegations.“Well, we‘ll find out if that’s true,” Trump said. “I’ll ask Putin about it. We’ll find out. It hasn’t had much impact because we’ve knocked the hell out of them.”Trump said that even if Russia were giving Iran intelligence, “it hasn’t worked out because they have no army. They have no air force. They have no navy. They have no nothing, so it hasn’t worked out well.”“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 said.Patriot MissilesEarlier this month, Trump met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where the U.S. president announced he would grant Kyiv a license to produce Patriot air defense systems, a long-standing request from Ukraine to counter missile attacks from Russia.“One of the things we’re going to be talking about is we’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots,” Trump said during a press conference on July 8.“That’s pretty cool, right? This way, he can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough. Let’s say, ‘make them yourself.’”Zelenskyy praised the air defense systems, saying, “The Patriot system is the best, you know, in the world for today, the best anti-ballistic system.”Ukraine is also seeking the development of European anti-ballistic missile systems.Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Deputy Secretary Davyd Aloian, who is overseeing the project, codenamed Freyja, said that they are aiming to have a minimal viable product by the middle of 2027.“That is a prototype that can already demonstrate its first practical results,” Aloian said.Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.