Zelenskyy Meets Trump to Discuss Ukraine's Defense Needs

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss Ukraine's defense needs and strategic cooperation amid the ongoing war with Russia. The closed-door meeting lasted just over an hour, according to multiple reports.

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the collaboration aimed at protecting Ukrainian lives and achieving peace. 'Good meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. Thank you for all that we are doing together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and achieve peace,' Zelenskyy said after the meeting on Tuesday.

The talks focused on licenses to produce Patriot air defense interceptors in Ukraine, a crucial component of the country's defense against Russian aerial attacks. Earlier this month, Trump agreed to allow Ukraine to jointly produce Patriot interceptor missiles. The discussions also centered on reviving diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the more than four-year-running war.

According to CBS News, Ukrainian Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna noted an improved relationship between Ukraine and the U.S., crediting recent personnel shuffles at the State Department and White House for helping the process. She mentioned that Ukraine now provides regular updates about its military situation and has been able to combat a prior narrative that Russia was winning the war.

Stefanishyna confirmed discussions about visits to Kyiv by envoys Steve Witkoff or Jared Kushner, though she declined to provide a date. She also indicated both planned to travel to Moscow after Ukraine. On air defenses, Stefanishyna noted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's presence at the Oval Office meeting and said while there had been no firm commitments for additional air defenses before winter, discussions are underway on long-term procurement deals.

Zelenskyy arrived in the U.S. earlier to attend Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral service and will hold separate talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and a bipartisan group of senators as the US Senate prepares to hold its first vote on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctions Act on Russia and Iran.

Ukrainian forces hit two of Russia's biggest oil refineries overnight, officials said Wednesday, as Kyiv deepened its economic, military, and diplomatic pressure on Moscow. The attacks started fires at a Lukoil refinery in Russia's Perm region and a refinery in Ryazan, according to Ukraine's Security Service and General Staff. The refineries have a combined annual production capacity of around 220 million barrels of oil.

Zelenskyy said he also had a meeting in Washington with representatives of both parties in the U.S. Senate, with more than 60 senators in attendance, as Ukraine pushes for more sanctions on Russia. He also met with representatives of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to discuss joint production and technology exchange.

Ukraine is ready to share its cutting-edge drone technology, which has impressed countries around the world. Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, said during a visit to Ukraine earlier this week: 'From reconnaissance and logistics to precision strikes, Ukraine has shown the world how unmanned systems can give smaller forces a decisive edge.'

Prospects for a settlement to stop the fighting appear dim despite a yearlong diplomatic push by the Trump administration. However, U.S. officials agreed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would make a trip to Kyiv sometime in the future.