US President Donald Trump hosted separate high-stakes meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, as both leaders arrived in Washington for the funeral of late Senator Lindsey Graham.
The closed-door sessions took place on the morning of Graham’s funeral service at Washington National Cathedral. Graham, a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina and strong supporter of both Ukraine and Israel, died earlier this month after returning from a trip to Kyiv. Trump later delivered a eulogy at the service, where Zelenskyy and Netanyahu also attended.
White House officials described both meetings as positive and productive. Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed licences for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, other defence ideas, and the need to revive diplomatic efforts toward peace with Russia. US special envoys are expected to visit Kyiv as a follow-up.
Netanyahu, in his first face-to-face talks with Trump since the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran earlier this year, described the conversation as one of the best he has had with the US president. The two discussed Iran and shared goals, including preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The day brought together leaders of two nations locked in major conflicts, underscoring Graham’s role as a key advocate for US support on both fronts. All three leaders paid respects at the cathedral service following the Oval Office talks.
