United States President Donald Trump held separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, as the wars in Ukraine and Iran continue to dominate the international agenda.
Diaspora Digital Media reports that the two leaders were in Washington to attend the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime supporter of Israel and a strong advocate for continued US military assistance to Ukraine.
During his meeting with Trump, Zelensky focused on Ukraine’s urgent need to strengthen its air defences against intensified Russian missile and drone attacks.
The Ukrainian leader later said Trump had agreed to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically.
Speaking to Fox News after the meeting, Zelensky said he had also met representatives of major US defence companies to discuss potential joint production, expressing optimism that the cooperation would move forward.
The White House did not immediately confirm the reported agreement, but Trump described the closed-door talks on his Truth Social platform as having “gone very well.”
Zelensky also met with a bipartisan group of US lawmakers before the Senate overwhelmingly approved fresh sanctions targeting buyers of Russian oil and gas, describing the move as a significant show of support for Ukraine.
Patriot missile systems remain one of Kyiv’s top military priorities because of their ability to intercept ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said the country needs about 25 Patriot systems to protect its cities from continued Russian attacks.
Later in the day, Trump welcomed Netanyahu to the White House for discussions centred on the conflict with Iran and broader Middle East security.
The meeting came amid signs of growing strain in US-Israel relations, with Trump having publicly criticised Israel in recent months over continued military operations in Lebanon despite ceasefire efforts.
Following the talks, Trump described the meeting as “very good,” while Netanyahu said the two leaders shared a common objective of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Soon after the meeting, the US military announced that it had intercepted Iranian missiles allegedly fired at American forces in the Middle East.
The United States and Saudi Arabia also launched strikes against Iran-backed groups in eastern Iraq accused of carrying out drone attacks on Saudi energy facilities.
