Trump gathers Zelensky and Netanyahu at the White House: what Ukraine and Israel will discuss

On July 28, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump will hold two separate meetings at the White House — with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The talks will take place against the backdrop of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the war with Iran, and Washington’s attempts to change the security system in the Middle East.

The White House confirmed that the meeting between Trump and Zelensky is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28. On the same day, the American president will receive Netanyahu, who arrived in Washington also to attend the farewell ceremony for the late Senator Lindsey Graham — one of the most consistent supporters of Israel and Ukraine in the U.S. Congress.

A joint trilateral meeting of Trump, Zelensky, and Netanyahu was not officially announced. These are two independent negotiations, but their agendas are significantly more interconnected than it might seem.

Ukraine and Israel simultaneously need American political support, air defense systems, interceptor missiles, intelligence information, and stable arms supplies. Therefore, Trump’s decisions on Iran may directly affect the U.S.’s ability to continue helping Ukraine.

Netanyahu is going to talk about Iran

The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu is scheduled for 11:00 Washington time — 18:00 Israeli time. About three hours later, the Israeli Prime Minister is expected to attend the farewell ceremony for Lindsey Graham at the Capitol.

Before flying to the U.S., Netanyahu stated that Iran would be the central topic of the talks. This will be the first personal meeting of the two leaders after the sharp escalation of the war and the large-scale air campaign by the U.S. and Israel against the Iranian regime.

The question is no longer just whether to continue the strikes. Trump and Netanyahu need to determine a common strategy for the coming months.

Among the main topics could be:

• the state of the Iranian nuclear program;
• the possibility of resuming American strikes;
• conditions for possible negotiations with Tehran;
• Iranian missile and drone attacks;
• shipping security and the Strait of Hormuz;
• stocks of American and Israeli interceptor missiles;
• the role of Iran-controlled groups in the region.

In recent days, the U.S. has suspended some strikes as Trump considers both military and diplomatic options. According to American media reports, military leadership representatives warned the president about the risks of a new large-scale campaign and the depletion of ammunition stocks.

Netanyahu, for his part, is interested in ensuring that the pause does not allow Iran to restore military capabilities. Israel fears that Tehran may use negotiations to regroup, repair infrastructure, and prepare new attacks.

Trump claims that his disagreements with Netanyahu remain minor and that the parties are ‘quite close’ in understanding further actions. However, behind public statements lies the fundamental question: does the U.S. intend to continue the war until the significant weakening of the Iranian regime or attempt to end the campaign with a political deal.

Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah

The second most important direction of the talks will be the relations between Israel and Lebanon.

With U.S. mediation, the parties are already conducting direct negotiations on the creation of so-called pilot zones in southern Lebanon. The plan provides for the withdrawal of Israeli units from certain territories, the deployment of the Lebanese army there, and the elimination of Hezbollah’s armed presence.

In July, Israel began relocating part of its forces in accordance with agreements reached with U.S. support. The next round of Israeli-Lebanese negotiations is scheduled for August 4 in Italy.

However, the success of the process depends on fulfilling the key condition — the real disarmament of Hezbollah and the transfer of control over southern Lebanon to official state structures.

For Israel, the formal withdrawal of militants is not enough. Jerusalem demands guarantees that missile units, weapons depots, and Hezbollah infrastructure will not return to the vacated territories.

The Lebanese government, in turn, seeks to restore control over the southern regions, but its capabilities are limited by the military and political power of the group, which has acted as a de facto autonomous army for decades.

At the meeting, Trump and Netanyahu are likely to discuss the pace of Israeli troop withdrawal, verification mechanisms, the powers of the Lebanese army, and the consequences of possible violations of the agreements.

Abraham Accords and Saudi Arabia

Another declared topic will be the expansion of the Abraham Accords — the system of normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states.

The main potential target remains Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration links possible U.S.-Saudi cooperation in the nuclear sphere with Riyadh’s joining the process of normalizing relations with Israel. Netanyahu publicly supported this approach.

However, the war with Iran, the situation in Gaza, and tensions in Lebanon significantly complicate the negotiations.

For Saudi Arabia, an agreement with Israel must be accompanied by American security guarantees, access to modern technologies, and a clear political perspective for the region. Israel, on the other hand, seeks to achieve normalization without accepting conditions that could limit its freedom of action against Iran and terrorist groups.

Therefore, the Abraham Accords will be considered not separately, but as part of a broader security architecture that Trump is trying to create in the Middle East.

Zelensky returns Ukraine to the center of Washington’s attention

Trump’s talks with Volodymyr Zelensky will focus on Russian aggression against Ukraine and ongoing attempts to reach an agreement to end the war.

The White House confirmed the meeting on July 28, but its exact time was initially not disclosed. The current visit will continue the negotiations that Trump and Zelensky held during the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8.

For Kyiv, the meeting is especially important because a significant part of U.S. attention and resources in recent months has been redirected to the Middle East.

Ukraine simultaneously faces increased Russian missile attacks and needs additional air defense systems. Moscow continues to strike Ukrainian cities despite statements of readiness for negotiations.

The likely agenda of the Trump-Zelensky meeting includes:

• conditions for a possible ceasefire;
• security guarantees for Ukraine;
• supplies of air defense systems and interceptor missiles;
• further American military assistance;
• sanctions against Russia;
• Moscow’s position in negotiations;
• Russian-Iranian military cooperation;
• possible personal negotiations between Trump and Putin.

Zelensky needs to convince the U.S. president that the lack of strong pressure on Moscow does not bring peace but gives the Russian leadership time to continue attacks and make new demands.

For Trump, the meeting will be an opportunity to show that the Iranian war has not led to the complete displacement of the Ukrainian issue from American foreign policy.

One set of missiles for several wars

The main connection between the two meetings is the limitation of American military resources.

Israel, Ukraine, and American troops in the Middle East use the same or similarly purposed means: Patriot systems, missile defense complexes, interceptor missiles, aviation munitions, and intelligence infrastructure.

A prolonged war with Iran means further expenditure of costly interceptors. Simultaneously, Ukraine is asking Washington to strengthen the protection of its cities from Russian ballistic missiles.

Therefore, Trump must decide not only whom to support politically but also how to allocate limited arms supplies.

Iran and Russia are interested in precisely such a stretching of Western resources. They do not necessarily need to destroy all American or Israeli air defense systems. It is enough to force the U.S. and its allies to expend missiles faster than the defense industry can produce new ones.

NANews — Israel News previously noted that the cooperation between Moscow and Tehran cannot be considered as a set of separate episodes. Russia receives Iranian technologies and weapons, while Iran uses Russian diplomatic and technical support. Both countries are interested in weakening the U.S., Europe, Israel, and Ukraine.

Two talks — one strategic choice

On July 28, Trump will effectively hold talks on two wars but will face one common problem.

At the meeting with Netanyahu, the American president must determine whether Washington is ready to continue pressure on Iran and how far the U.S. is willing to go to destroy Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure.

At the meeting with Zelensky, he must answer whether America is ready to continue supporting Ukraine and use real leverage on Russia.

Official statements from the White House after the talks will show whether Trump intends to build a unified strategy against the Russian-Iranian axis or continue to view Ukraine and the Middle East as two separate crises.

For Israel and Ukraine, this is a fundamental question. In both cases, it is about states and terrorist structures that test the West’s ability to act consistently, maintain unity, and withstand prolonged confrontation.

NANews — Israel News will continue to monitor the negotiations in Washington and the decisions that may affect the security of Israel, Ukraine, and the entire democratic world.