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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday as Kyiv seeks additional air defence systems and closer defence cooperation following an escalation in Russian missile and drone attacks.
After arriving in the United States, Zelensky said strengthening Ukraine’s air defences would be his government’s immediate priority.
“Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defence and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer,” he wrote on X.
The meeting will take place before both leaders attend a memorial service for Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in Congress, who died earlier this month.
Zelensky is expected to press for additional Patriot air defence systems and interceptor missiles, which Ukraine says are essential to counter Russia’s increasing use of ballistic missiles. The two leaders are also expected to discuss expanding defence-industrial cooperation, including plans for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles under licence.
During their meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit earlier this month, Trump said Washington would help Ukraine produce the systems domestically.
“We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That’s pretty cool,” Trump said. “It’s a defensive weapon, which I like better than an offensive weapon.”
Relations between Trump and Zelensky have improved in recent weeks after months of tension over US support for Kyiv. While the Trump administration has largely shifted to allowing European allies to purchase American weapons for Ukraine rather than transferring them directly, Washington continues to provide intelligence support and access to the Starlink satellite network used by Ukrainian forces.
The Pentagon informed Congress in May that the remaining approximately $400 million in military assistance approved last year will be delivered over several years, with final deliveries expected by 30 September 2029.
Following his meeting with Trump, Zelensky is expected to address all 100 members of the US Senate as lawmakers prepare to consider a Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Lindsey Graham. The legislation would target Russian energy revenues and impose sanctions on senior Russian officials and institutions.
The talks come as Russia and Ukraine continue to intensify long-range strikes. Russian authorities said hundreds of Ukrainian drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, while Russian state media reported strikes against two vessels, including one Moscow claimed was transporting military supplies for Ukraine. The Russian claims could not be independently verified.
