Washington.- The presidents of the United States, Donald Trump, and Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, spoke this Tuesday, during a meeting at the White House, about Washington’s authorization for Kyiv to manufacture American Patriot missile systems on its own to defend itself against Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy posted a message on X accompanied by several photographs of the meeting, which was closed to the press and took place hours before both leaders participate in the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent defender of Ukraine in the U.S. Congress.
The Ukrainian described the meeting in the Oval Office with Trump as “good,” thanking him for the joint effort to “protect the lives of Ukrainians and promote peace,” and offered condolences for the passing of Graham, “a true friend of Ukraine.”
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The outcome of the meeting
President Trump “and I spoke about licenses for the production of Patriot interceptors and other ideas that could be of help. We also talked about diplomacy, it is important to revitalize the diplomatic process. Our teams will coordinate the details of future communications,” Zelensky wrote in English.
“I thank the United States for its firm support,” he concluded.
The meeting began at 9:47 Washington time (13:47 GMT) and ended shortly before 10:52 (14:52 GMT) when the Ukrainian leader left the White House, according to Administration spokespeople who informed the press.
Secretaries of State, Marco Rubio; Treasury, Scott Bessent; and War, Pete Hegseth, also participated in the meeting, according to the images shared on X, where the leaders can be seen smiling while posing in the Oval Office.
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More than four years after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky continues to pressure his Western allies to obtain additional air defense systems and ammunition to deal with Russian drone attacks.
Zelensky seeks more sanctions for Russia
Trump’s efforts to achieve peace between Kyiv and Moscow, one of his main campaign promises, remain stalled and without concrete progress.
Zelenskyy plans, before leaving the United States this very night, to meet with a group of senators who are pushing for a resolution introduced by Graham to toughen sanctions against Russia.
The senator, very close to Trump and a proponent of interventionism in foreign policy, passed away on July 11 due to a cardiac emergency hours after returning from a trip to Ukraine, where he had met with Zelensky.
Trump also received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this Tuesday in the Oval Office, who will attend Graham’s funeral.
