Trump meets Zelenski and Netanyahu at White House ahead of Graham funeral, discusses Patriot missiles and Iran diplomacy

A day of diplomacy and mourning

Donald Trump received Volodymyr Zelenski and Benjamin Netanyahu in separate closed-door meetings at the White House on Tuesday, hours before the state funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. The encounters, described by Trump's press secretary as "positive and productive," marked a sharp shift from the early months of his second term, when he publicly berated Zelenski and later clashed with Netanyahu over the Iran campaign. Zelenski's fourth visit to the White House bore no resemblance to the February 2025 blow-up in which Trump told him "You don't have the cards right now."

Patriot missiles and Ukraine's new leverage

Zelenski pressed for licences to manufacture Patriot air-defence interceptors, a commitment Trump first made at the NATO summit in Ankara earlier in July. "The president and I discussed licences for the production of Patriot interceptors and several other ideas that could help," Zelenski wrote on X. He also urged a revival of the stalled diplomatic process with Russia. The meeting came as the Pentagon plans to delay some already approved aid, and as the UN reported that July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, with Russia intensifying ballistic missile strikes.

A good meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace.

Ukraine's role in the Iran conflict

Zelenski arrived with new cards: Ukrainian intelligence had gathered evidence that Russia was providing satellite surveillance of US bases in the Gulf to Iran. On Saturday, Ukraine struck an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, accusing it of ferrying military cargo between Iran and Russia, Kyiv's first direct attack on Tehran's assets in the five-month war. Zelenski also offered drone technology to the US and its Gulf allies for the Iran campaign, underscoring how the two wars have become increasingly intertwined.

Netanyahu and the fragile Iran ceasefire

Netanyahu's meeting, the eighth since Trump returned to power in January 2025, focused on the Iran front. Tensions have simmered since Trump halted the offensive on 24 July to "give diplomacy a chance," while Israel continued strikes in Lebanon, jeopardising the June ceasefire. Before the talks, Trump said they had "small differences but are pretty close," and Netanyahu predicted they would discuss "all pending issues, including Iran and missile defence." The US and Israel launched their joint offensive against Iran on 28 February 2026.

Graham's farewell

The day ended with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral. Graham, 71, died on 11 July from an aortic tear, one day after returning from Kyiv where he announced a bipartisan Senate push for new sanctions on Russian oil. Vice President JD Vance spoke at a Capitol ceremony before the cathedral service. Trump eulogised the senator as a "hawk" of the old Republican guard and said: "I assure you, he never saw a war he didn't like." Zelenski called him "a true friend of Ukraine."