Zelensky Meets Trump at White House as Ukraine Pushes for Patriot Missiles, Fresh US Support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held high-level talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, seeking stronger military backing and renewed diplomatic efforts as Russia intensifies attacks across Ukraine.

The closed-door meeting lasted just over an hour and came at a critical stage of the war, with peace negotiations at a standstill and both Kyiv and Moscow stepping up long-range drone and missile strikes.

Ahead of the talks, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Kyiv’s top priority was securing additional Patriot air defense missiles, particularly anti-ballistic systems capable of intercepting Russia’s increasingly frequent missile attacks. Ukraine is also seeking closer strategic cooperation with Washington and fresh momentum for diplomatic negotiations.

After arriving in the United States, Zelensky stressed the urgency of the visit.

“Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer,” he wrote on X.

The visit comes as the United Nations reports that last month was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, largely due to Russia’s increased use of ballistic missiles that are difficult to intercept. Ukrainian officials say Washington’s approval of a new Patriot missile package remains essential to protecting cities and critical infrastructure.

Relations between Zelensky and Trump have improved significantly since a tense Oval Office meeting in February 2025, when the US president publicly accused the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful. More recently, Trump has praised Zelensky’s leadership and proposed allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles under US license, while shifting American military assistance toward a model in which European allies purchase weapons for Kyiv.

Beyond military support, Zelensky’s Washington visit includes efforts to revive stalled diplomatic initiatives. He previously met with Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to discuss ways of restarting negotiations after conflicts in the Middle East diverted international attention from the war in Ukraine.

Following his White House meeting, Zelensky was scheduled to attend a memorial service for late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a long-time supporter of Ukraine, before addressing US senators ahead of a procedural vote on a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting Russia.

The proposed legislation, backed by 62 Senate co-sponsors, seeks to increase pressure on Moscow through tougher sanctions, although some lawmakers remain divided over provisions that would expand presidential authority to impose tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy.

Meanwhile, fighting continues to escalate on both sides. Ukrainian forces launched hundreds of drones toward Russian territory, including Moscow, while Russia responded overnight with more than 100 drones targeting Ukraine, including strikes on the Black Sea port city of Odesa and vessels transporting Ukrainian agricultural exports.