Trump, Zelenskyy discuss Patriot deal and reviving talks with Russia

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday discussed reviving peace talks with Russia and plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors , then attended the funeral of a U.S. senator who had been one of Kyiv’s most vocal backers.

Zelenskyy met Trump privately in the Oval Office before a service honoring Senator Lindsey Graham in the afternoon. He also held talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at a Washington hotel and met with U.S. senators at the U.S. Capitol.

The whirlwind visit offered Zelenskyy a chance to shore up U.S. military support for Ukraine when relations are warmer than they have been in months. The U.S., however, has been sitting on aid for Kyiv, and Graham’s death means the loss of one of Ukraine’s most influential advocates in Washington.

Zelenskyy told reporters that he emphasized Ukraine’s need for anti-ballistic missile systems and interceptors during his meetings with Trump and the senators, while welcoming new U.S. legislation advancing sweeping Russian energy sanctions.

Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine had drones that could destroy Iranian- and Russian-built drones but needed more weapons to defend against ballistic missiles fired by Moscow.

“The real problem is anti-ballistic systems and anti-ballistic missiles,” he said after a meeting with senators at the U.S. Capitol. “And of course, I (shared) what we need.”

Earlier, on Telegram, he said that he had a “good meeting” with Trump and they had discussed the U.S. leader’s promise at a NATO summit this month to grant Ukraine a license to produce its own Patriot missile interceptors.

As Russia has stepped up its air attacks, Ukraine has run chronically low on supplies of Patriots, which remain the only weapon in its arsenal capable of downing ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy later told Fox News’ “Hannity” show that Trump had “accepted that he will give us licenses” to produce the interceptors.

“We also talked about diplomacy – it is important to step up the diplomatic process,” Zelenskyy said after the meeting with senators, referring to stalled peace talks with Russia to end the war, now in its fifth year.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, have agreed to visit Ukraine for the first time as part of the effort to kick-start their mediation efforts with Russia, according to two sources familiar with the talks. The two have visited Russia and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times since Trump returned to office in January 2025.

Zelenskyy said last week he had spoken with the pair about the prospects for renewed talks. No specific date was set for a visit, one of the sources said.

Separately, Zelenskyy said he had met with officials from Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons maker and one of the companies that produces Patriot interceptors. He said that teams were already working on solutions “to move to co-production as quickly as possible.”

Relations have improved

Following Graham’s funeral, the Ukrainian leader spoke for nearly an hour with U.S. senators before entering the Senate chamber to witness a key vote on a bipartisan package of new sanctions on Russia. Graham had long championed the measure and announced Trump’s support just days before his death.

“Sanctions pressure on Russia is very important,” he said, saying the legislation would squeeze Russia’s ability to finance the war, while signaling U.S. support for the Ukrainian people.

“With this vote, we are going to show Putin he can’t bully Ukraine,” U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. “America stands behind Ukraine ... We are going to back Ukraine, and they’re going to win and beat Putin.”

Zelenskyy’s visit came after a letter from the Pentagon to lawmakers showed the Trump administration has told Congress it will not finish spending $400 million authorized for aid to Ukraine until fiscal year 2029.

Democrats and some of Trump’s fellow Republicans have criticized the Pentagon for sitting on aid for Kyiv that members of both parties backed last year.

Zelenskyy and Trump clashed repeatedly early in Trump’s second term, but relations between the two have improved in recent months as Ukraine has racked up more successes in the war, including with increased attacks on Russia’s oil industry.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican who died suddenly of a heart ailment on July 11 at age 71, was one of Trump’s most visible allies. He was a defense hawk who regularly called for an interventionist U.S. role on the world stage and strongly backed Ukraine.

He met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv only a day before his death, the 10th time he had visited Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

华盛顿——美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基周二讨论了重启与俄罗斯的和平谈判以及乌克兰生产爱国者导弹拦截器的计划，随后出席了一位美国参议员的葬礼，这位参议员曾是基辅最直言不讳的支持者之一。

泽连斯基在下午出席纪念参议员林赛·格雷厄姆的仪式之前，在椭圆形办公室与特朗普进行了私人会晤。他还与芬兰总统亚历山大·斯图布在华盛顿一家酒店举行了会谈，并在美国国会大厦会见了美国参议员。

这次旋风式访问让泽连斯基有机会在美乌关系几个月来最为缓和之际，巩固美国对乌克兰的军事支持。然而，美国一直搁置对基辅的援助，格雷厄姆的去世意味着乌克兰在华盛顿失去了一位最具影响力的支持者。

泽连斯基告诉记者，他在与特朗普和参议员们的会晤中强调了乌克兰对反弹道导弹系统和拦截器的需要，同时对美国推进全面制裁俄罗斯能源的新立法表示欢迎。

泽连斯基告诉记者，乌克兰拥有可以摧毁伊朗和俄罗斯制造的无人机的无人机，但需要更多武器来防御莫斯科发射的弹道导弹。

“真正的问题是反弹道导弹系统和反弹道导弹，”他在美国国会大厦与参议员会面后说道。“当然，我也分享了我们的需求。”

早些时候，他在 Telegram 上表示，他与特朗普进行了一次“良好的会面”，他们讨论了这位美国领导人在本月北约峰会上承诺向乌克兰颁发许可证，允许其生产自己的“爱国者”导弹拦截器。

随着俄罗斯加大空袭力度，乌克兰的“爱国者”导弹系统长期处于短缺状态，而“爱国者”导弹系统仍然是乌克兰武器库中唯一能够击落弹道导弹的武器。

泽连斯基后来告诉福克斯新闻的“汉尼提”节目，特朗普“已经接受了他会给我们颁发许可证”来生产拦截器。

泽连斯基在与参议员会面后表示：“我们也谈到了外交——加快外交进程非常重要。”他指的是与俄罗斯陷入僵局的和平谈判，这场战争已经持续了五年。

据两位知情人士透露，美国特使史蒂夫·威特科夫和特朗普的女婿贾里德·库什纳已同意首次访问乌克兰，此举旨在重启美俄斡旋进程。自特朗普2025年1月重返白宫以来，两人已多次访问俄罗斯，并与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京会面。

泽连斯基上周表示，他已与两人讨论了重启谈判的可能性。一位消息人士称，双方尚未确定具体的访问日期。

泽连斯基还表示，他已与全球最大的武器制造商洛克希德·马丁公司（也是“爱国者”导弹拦截器的生产商之一）的官员会面。他说，双方团队已经在着手制定解决方案，“以尽快实现联合生产”。

关系有所改善

格雷厄姆的葬礼结束后，乌克兰领导人与美国参议员们进行了近一个小时的会谈，之后进入参议院议事厅，见证一项针对俄罗斯的新制裁两党法案的关键投票。格雷厄姆长期以来一直支持这项法案，并在去世前几天宣布了特朗普的支持。

“对俄罗斯施加制裁压力非常重要，”他说，并表示该法案将削弱俄罗斯为战争提供资金的能力，同时表明美国对乌克兰人民的支持。

“通过这次投票，我们将向普京表明，他无法欺凌乌克兰，”美国参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默告诉记者。“美国与乌克兰站在一起……我们将支持乌克兰，他们必将胜利，击败普京。”

泽连斯基此次访问之前，五角大楼致信国会，信中显示特朗普政府已告知国会，在2029财年之前，不会花完已授权用于援助乌克兰的4亿美元资金。

民主党人和特朗普的一些共和党同僚批评五角大楼扣留了去年两党成员都支持的对基辅的援助。

在特朗普第二个任期初期，泽连斯基和特朗普多次发生冲突，但近几个月来，随着乌克兰在战争中取得更多胜利，包括加大对俄罗斯石油工业的攻击力度，两人之间的关系有所改善。

格雷厄姆是南卡罗来纳州的一位共和党人，7月11日因心脏病突然去世，享年71岁。他是特朗普最引人注目的盟友之一。他是一位国防鹰派，经常呼吁美国在世界舞台上扮演干预主义角色，并强烈支持乌克兰。

在他去世前一天，他在基辅会见了泽连斯基。这是自俄罗斯 2022 年入侵乌克兰以来，他第十次访问乌克兰。