Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a “good meeting” with his United States counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, the latest sign that the once-frosty relationship between the two leaders has significantly thawed in recent months.
“Good meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. Thank you for all that we are doing together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and achieve peace,” Zelenskyy said after the meeting, which lasted just over an hour behind closed doors.
The Ukrainian president said the talks covered licenses to produce Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine, a crucial component of the country defense against Russian aerial attacks. Earlier this month, Trump agreed to allow Ukraine to jointly produce Patriot air defense interceptors, marking a significant step in bilateral defense cooperation.
Zelenskyy said the discussions also centered on reviving diplomatic efforts to bring the more than four-year-long war to an end. The meeting took place on the same day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also at the White House for talks with Trump. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described both encounters as “positive and productive.”
The Ukrainian president arrived in the United States earlier to attend Senator Lindsey Graham funeral service. He also held separate talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and a bipartisan group of senators as the US Senate prepared to hold its first vote on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctions Act on Russia and Iran.
“Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer,” Zelenskyy said upon his arrival in the US.
Kyiv and Washington are also moving closer to a deal on joint drone production, a move that could help the US catch up with Ukraine in one of the war most important military technologies. Ukraine is on track to produce six to seven million short-range attack drones this year, while the Pentagon $1.1 billion production program is expected to have ordered nearly 200,000 drones by February 2027.
The cooperation marks a significant improvement in the two countries relationship following a disastrous meeting in February last year, during which Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly berated Zelenskyy. The Trump administration has since sharply curtailed new military assistance to Ukraine, leaving Europe as Kyiv main source of financial and military support.
The US has continued to act as a mediator in the war, which began with Russia full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, diplomatic efforts have slowed in recent weeks as Washington has focused on other foreign policy priorities, including the ongoing US-Israel military campaign against Iran.
Trump and Zelenskyy 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 closer cooperation on the war. In Ankara, Trump said he had a good relationship with his Ukrainian counterpart.
The meeting at the White House came at a crucial moment in US-Ukraine relations, with Zelenskyy seeking to secure continued American support as the war with Russia enters its fifth year. Analysts say the improvement in personal rapport between the two leaders could be instrumental in maintaining bipartisan support for Ukraine in Washington.