Zelenskyy Trump meeting at White House focuses on Patriots and peace talks
Zelenskyy said talks with Trump covered Patriot missile production in Ukraine and efforts to restart diplomacy with Russia.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Zelenskyy Trump meeting at the White House on Tuesday was “good,” pointing to talks on air defence production and efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Oval Office talks signaled a further thaw between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump after a strained period in Washington-Kyiv relations, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
“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.
Zelenskyy said on Telegram that the two leaders discussed licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Trump earlier this month agreed to let Ukraine jointly produce Patriot air defence interceptors, a key part of Kyiv’s efforts to defend against Russian aerial attacks.
What did Zelenskyy and Trump discuss?
Zelenskyy said the talks included Patriot interceptor production and renewed diplomacy aimed at ending the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. He described the discussion as part of work with Washington to protect Ukrainian lives and pursue peace.
The meeting was held behind closed doors and lasted a little more than an hour, according to US media cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also at the White House on Tuesday for talks with Trump.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that Trump’s meetings with Zelenskyy and Netanyahu were “positive and productive.”
How does the meeting fit into US-Ukraine defence ties?
Kyiv and Washington are also moving closer to an agreement on joint drone production, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The report said such a deal could help the United States gain ground in a technology that has become central to the war.
Ukraine is on track to produce six to seven million short-range attack drones this year, while the Pentagon’s $1.1bn production programme is expected to have ordered nearly 200,000 drones by February 2027, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The defence cooperation comes after a sharp public clash at the White House in February last year, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelenskyy and accused him of showing too little gratitude for US support, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The Trump administration has sharply reduced new military aid to Ukraine, leaving European governments as Kyiv’s main source of financial and military backing, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Washington has still acted as a mediator in the war, though diplomatic activity has slowed in recent weeks as the US has focused on other foreign policy priorities.
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, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. At both meetings, the leaders supported closer cooperation on the war, and in Ankara, Trump said he had a good relationship with Zelenskyy.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.