Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States on Tuesday, July 28th, 2026, for talks with former President Donald Trump focused on strengthening air defense and strategic cooperation amid escalating conflict with Russia.

Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House late Tuesday morning, ahead of the funeral for Senator Lindsey Graham, a noted supporter of Ukraine who passed away earlier this month. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the closed-door meeting as "positive and productive."

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the Republican administration's support and highlighted key discussion points on social media platform X, stating, “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.” He emphasized that Ukraine's top priority is "anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America," adding, "Peace needs to be brought closer."

Earlier in July, Trump pledged during a meeting with Zelenskyy in Turkey to assist Ukraine in producing Patriot air defense systems, noting Kyiv could produce them "pretty quickly."

Meanwhile, Russia reported that over 390 Ukrainian drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, damaging residential buildings. Russian state media also reported strikes on two vessels in the Black Sea, including one alleged to be transporting military supplies for Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Sources