President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday to discuss reviving Russia peace talks and plans for Ukraine to build Patriot missiles before attending the funeral of Lindsey Graham, a key U.S. supporter of Kyiv.
Zelenskyy met Trump privately in the Oval Office before a service honoring Sen. 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.
He also said that Ukraine had drones that could destroy Iranian- and Russian-built drones but needed more weapons to defend against ballistic missiles fired by Moscow.
