Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States for talks with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying Kyiv’s top priority was securing stronger air defense and strategic cooperation as Russia intensified attacks.
Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House late on Tuesday morning local time, ahead of the funeral for Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, who passed away earlier this month.
Images taken from behind the fences at the White House showed Zelenskyy exiting a car ready to enter the building.
The Ukrainian president was expected to conduct a short meeting with his US counterpart, likely without reporters present, according to unnamed sources briefing news agencies including Reuters.
“Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X after arriving in the US.
US-Ukraine deal on Patriot production recently announced
The long-strained relations between Trump and Zelenskyy have shown modest signs of improvement in recent weeks.
Since returning to office in January last year, Trump largely stopped direct US arms shipments to Ukraine, instead leavingEuropean allies to buy American weapons and supply them to Kyiv.
However, Washington remains a key ally, providing intelligence and access to the Starlink satellite network used by Ukrainian frontline troops to communicate.
In a sign of improving ties, Trump, in a meeting with Zelenskyy in Turkey earlier this month, pledged to help Ukraine produce Patriot air defense systems, and said Kyiv would be able to produce them “pretty quickly.”
This has been a long-running request from Kyiv in order to counter Russian missile attacks.
Kyiv and Moscow ramp up long-range strikes
More than four years have passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Amid stalled diplomatic efforts to end the war brokered by the Trump administration, both sides have stepped up long-range strikes.
Russia said on Tuesday that more than 390 Ukrainian drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, damaging residential buildings.
Russian state media also reported that Russian forces struck two vessels, including a ship in the Black Sea that Moscow claimed was transporting military supplies for Ukraine, according to Reuters.
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Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
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