Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday described his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House as “good”, signalling continued improvement in relations between the two leaders after months of closer engagement.
“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 wrote on Telegram after Tuesday’s talks.
He said the two leaders discussed plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles under licence, following an agreement reached earlier this month allowing joint production of the air defence system.
“We talked with the President about licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian President added that the discussions also focused on reviving diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia, which has continued for more than four years.
The meeting, held behind closed doors, lasted just over an hour, according to US media. It took place on the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also at the White House for separate talks with President Trump.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described both meetings as “positive and productive” in a post on X.
Zelenskyy travelled to Washington to attend the funeral service of Senator Lindsey Graham. During his visit, he is also scheduled to meet Finnish President Alexander Stubb and a bipartisan group of US senators ahead of the Senate’s first vote on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctions Act targeting Russia and Iran.
Before arriving in Washington, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s immediate priority remained strengthening its air defences. “Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defence and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer,” he said.
Kyiv and Washington are also moving closer to an agreement on joint drone production, reflecting expanding defence cooperation between the two countries. Ukraine is expected to produce between six and seven million short-range attack drones this year, while the Pentagon’s $1.1bn production programme is projected to have ordered nearly 200,000 drones by February 2027.
The growing cooperation marks a significant shift from the strained relations seen during a White House meeting in February last year, when Trump and Vice-President JD Vance publicly criticised Zelenskyy, accusing him of showing insufficient gratitude for US military support.
Although the Trump administration has reduced new military assistance to Ukraine, leaving European countries as Kyiv’s principal source of financial and military backing, Washington has continued to position itself as a mediator in the conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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 June. At both meetings, the two leaders reaffirmed their support for closer cooperation.
Speaking in Ankara, Trump said he had “a good relationship” with the Ukrainian President.