Trump: Talks With Zelensky “Went Very Well” After Private White House Meeting

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump met with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky at the White House on Tuesday for a private meeting lasting about an hour, with American officials providing few details about the discussions.

More than nine hours after the meeting concluded, Trump commented briefly on Truth Social, describing the talks as positive.

“Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well!” Trump wrote, adding that it had been a “great honor” to host Zelensky, without elaborating on the subjects covered.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also offered a short statement, saying that both Trump’s meeting with Zelensky and his separate talks with “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were “positive and productive.”

Following the meeting, Zelensky said on X that he and Trump discussed licensing arrangements for the production of Patriot interceptor missiles, along with other proposals aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses. He also said the two leaders addressed diplomatic efforts and thanked the United States for its continued support.

Later in the day, Trump, Zelensky, and Netanyahu attended a memorial service in Washington for late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime advocate of military support for Ukraine who had visited Kiev shortly before his death.

The meeting followed an earlier encounter between Trump and Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, where they discussed Ukraine’s air defense needs and prospects for renewed peace negotiations. After those talks, Trump said Washington would authorize Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles under license but maintained that the United States would not directly supply the weapons, instead urging European NATO members to finance future military assistance.

Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly criticized Zelensky, previously describing him as a “dictator without elections” and accusing him of showing insufficient appreciation for US support. Trump has also argued that a negotiated settlement could require Ukraine to make territorial concessions, while Zelensky has continued to call for expanded Western military assistance.

The Trump administration has also cautioned Kiev against attacking non-Russian commercial vessels following last week’s drone strike on a Chevron-chartered tanker carrying Kazakh oil near the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

Ukraine has continued to rely heavily on Western military aid throughout the conflict, repeatedly requesting additional Patriot air defense systems and interceptor missiles as Russian forces continue strikes on what Moscow describes as military-related targets. Russia says the attacks are a response to what it characterizes as Ukrainian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure inside Russian territory.

The latest meeting came after Ukraine launched another large-scale overnight drone attack targeting Moscow. Russian authorities said more than 390 drones were directed toward the capital, reporting damage to several residential buildings but no casualties.

Reuters also reported last week, citing a Ukrainian source, that Washington and Kiev have discussed a proposed air ceasefire that could be presented to Moscow as part of renewed efforts to restart peace negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov questioned the report’s accuracy, saying Russia had not received any formal proposal.

Moscow has repeatedly argued that continued Western arms deliveries make NATO countries direct participants in the conflict and increase the risk of a broader military confrontation.