Zelenskiy meets Trump on peace talks, Patriot production and Russia sanctions

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday discussed reviving peace talks with Russia and plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors, then attended the funeral of a U.S. senator who had been one of Kyiv's most vocal backers.

Zelenskiy met Trump privately in the Oval Office before a service honoring Senator Lindsey Graham in the afternoon. He also held talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at a Washington hotel and met with U.S. senators at the U.S. Capitol.

The visit gave Zelenskiy a chance to seek stronger U.S. military support for Ukraine at a time when relations are warmer than they have been in months. The U.S., however, has been holding back aid for Kyiv, and Graham's death means the loss of one of Ukraine's most influential advocates in Washington.

Zelenskiy told reporters that he emphasized Ukraine's need for anti-ballistic missile systems and interceptors during his meetings with Trump and senators, while welcoming new U.S. legislation advancing sweeping sanctions on Russia's energy sector.

He said Ukraine already has drones capable of destroying Iranian- and Russian-built drones but needs more weapons to defend against ballistic missiles fired by Moscow.

After meeting with senators at the U.S. Capitol, Zelenskiy said that the real problem is anti-ballistic systems and anti-ballistic missiles and that he had shared what Ukraine needs.

Earlier, on Telegram, he said he had a good meeting with Trump and that they discussed the U.S. leader's promise at a NATO summit this month to grant Ukraine a license to produce its own Patriot missile interceptors.

As Russia has stepped up air attacks, Ukraine has run chronically low on Patriots, which remain the only weapon in its arsenal capable of downing ballistic missiles.

Zelenskiy later told Fox News' Hannity that Trump had accepted that he will give Ukraine licenses to produce the interceptors.

He also said they discussed diplomacy and the need to step up the diplomatic process, referring to stalled peace talks with Russia aimed at ending the war.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, have agreed to visit Ukraine for the first time as part of the effort to restart mediation with Russia, according to two sources familiar with the talks. The two have visited Russia and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times since Trump returned to office in January 2025.

Zelenskiy said last week that he had spoken with the pair about prospects for renewed talks. No specific date was set for a visit, one of the sources said.

Separately, Zelenskiy said he met with officials from Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons maker and one of the companies that produces Patriot interceptors. He said teams were already working on solutions to move to co-production as quickly as possible.

Following Graham's funeral, the Ukrainian leader spoke for nearly an hour with U.S. senators before entering the Senate chamber to witness a key vote on a bipartisan package of new sanctions on Russia. Graham had long championed the measure and announced Trump's support just days before his death.

Zelenskiy said sanctions pressure on Russia is very important and that the legislation would squeeze Russia's ability to finance the war while signaling U.S. support for the Ukrainian people.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the vote would show Putin that he cannot bully Ukraine and that America stands behind Ukraine.

Zelenskiy's visit came after a letter from the Pentagon to lawmakers showed the Trump administration has told Congress it will not finish spending $400 million authorized for aid to Ukraine until fiscal year 2029.

Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans have criticized the Pentagon for sitting on aid for Kyiv that members of both parties backed last year.

Zelenskiy and Trump clashed repeatedly early in Trump's second term, but relations between the two have improved in recent months as Ukraine has racked up more successes in the war, including increased attacks on Russia's oil industry.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican who died suddenly of a heart ailment on July 11 at age 71, was one of Trump's most visible allies. He was a defense hawk who regularly called for an interventionist U.S. role on the world stage and strongly backed Ukraine.

He met with Zelenskiy in Kyiv only a day before his death, the 10th time he had visited Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion.