President Trump held separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. The discussions took place against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict with Iran and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both leaders were in Washington to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent advocate for both nations who died suddenly at age 71 after recently returning from a trip to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy described his Oval Office meeting with Mr. Trump as productive. The two leaders focused on the production of Patriot missile interceptors, which remain essential to Ukraine's defense against Moscow. This follows a recent meeting between the pair on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Turkey, where Mr. Trump indicated that the U.S. would permit Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot missiles. Writing on X, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for U.S. support, offered condolences for the loss of Senator Graham, and noted that their teams would coordinate further diplomatic communications to reinvigorate the peace process.
Immediately following the session with the Ukrainian president, Mr. Trump held a private meeting with Netanyahu. Neither the White House nor Israeli officials have provided a formal readout of the encounter, which marks the first known face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the U.S. and Israel initiated the war with Iran.
While Mr. Trump has historically been a strong supporter of Netanyahu, the relationship has faced recent strain. Although the president has referred to Netanyahu as a good wartime leader, he has refrained from endorsing his long-term tenure as prime minister. Mr. Trump has publicly suggested that Netanyahu should adopt a more responsible approach regarding Lebanon, a claim that Netanyahu has countered. Addressing these tensions, Mr. Trump remarked, "I don't need Bibi to tell me that," adding that the prime minister's comments were likely motivated by a desire to keep the U.S. involved in the region.
"The president and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy – it's important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication. I am grateful to the United States for its firm support."
ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו נפגש כעת עם נשיא ארה״ב דונלד טראמפ בבית הלבן. pic.twitter.com/9UWM8rsn97— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) July 28, 2026
