WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, with wars in Iran and Ukraine at critical stages and his ties with both leaders markedly changed.
Relations with Zelensky have warmed as Ukraine has blunted Russian advances, while Netanyahu arrives amid growing White House frustration over the lack of progress toward a broader settlement in the Iran conflict and criticism from some of Trump’s supporters who oppose deeper US involvement in the Middle East.
The two men are in Washington to attend a memorial service for Senator Lindsey Graham, a hawkish Republican who was an advocate for both Israel and Ukraine in Washington, especially in getting their views heard by Trump.
Trump greeted Zelensky at the White House. Arriving in Washington earlier, the Ukrainian leader said anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with the US were the “number-one priority” for meetings with Trump and his team.
“Peace needs to be brought closer,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
