- July 28, 2026
- 9:34 pm
- World News
On July 28, 2026, US President Donald Trump held separate talks at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Both meetings were held behind closed doors, without the presence of journalists and joint press conferences. Trump first met with Zelensky, followed by a meeting with Netanyahu. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt wrote on social network X that both conversations were “positive and productive.”
Behind this general diplomatic wording were two different but increasingly interconnected international agendas. Zelensky came to discuss Ukraine’s air defense, the production of American weapons, drones, and attempts to increase pressure on Russia. Netanyahu sought to convince Trump not to reduce American involvement in the confrontation with Iran, as well as to discuss the situation in Lebanon and the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
Thus, within a few hours in the Oval Office, two wars converged that were recently considered separate crises: Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Middle Eastern confrontation between Israel and Iran and its allies.
Zelensky and Trump discussed the production of missiles for the Patriot system.
The first meeting was between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. The conversation took place in the Oval Office without journalists and, judging by the published information, was shorter than the subsequent talks with Netanyahu.
After the meeting, Zelensky called it good and reported that he thanked the American president for their joint work aimed at protecting the lives of Ukrainian citizens and promoting peace. The Office of the President of Ukraine confirmed the talks took place on the evening of July 28.
The main practical topic was the production of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. Zelensky reported that he discussed with Trump American licenses that would allow Ukraine to participate in the production of such interceptors.
“The President and I discussed licenses for the production of Patriot interceptors and several other ideas that could help,” Zelensky said after the talks. He also emphasized the need to intensify the diplomatic process aimed at ending the Russian war.
For Ukraine, this issue is of strategic importance. Russia continues to use ballistic and cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities, and the number of available Patriot systems and ammunition remains limited. The ability to produce interceptors in Ukraine or jointly with American companies would reduce dependence on individual political decisions regarding supplies.
The topic of licensing was already discussed by Trump and Zelensky at a meeting during the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8. At that time, the American president expressed readiness to provide Ukraine with the opportunity to produce Patriot systems or components under an American license. The current meeting was supposed to translate this political agreement into a practical plane.
Drones and new defense cooperation
Another area of negotiations was cooperation in the field of drone technologies.
Over the years of war, Ukraine has created a powerful industry for the production of drones capable of striking Russian military targets, oil refineries, warehouses, and logistics routes. The US, in turn, has the technologies, components, and financial capabilities to expand such production.
Trump and Zelensky discussed further work following preliminary agreements in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles. The details of a possible deal have not yet been published, but it may involve American purchases of Ukrainian systems, as well as joint production and technology exchange.
As noted by NANews — News of Israel, the combination of the two topics — Patriot and drones — shows a change in the nature of Ukrainian-American cooperation. Ukraine increasingly requests not only ready-made weapons but also the right to produce the necessary systems independently.
Zelensky called for intensified diplomacy
Zelensky reported that a separate part of the conversation was devoted to diplomatic efforts to end the Russian war.
No specific peace plan was presented after the meeting. The White House also did not report on new negotiations with Moscow or a change in the American position. However, Zelensky stated that the diplomatic process needs to be “revived” or intensified.
Before the meeting, a White House representative said that Trump intended to discuss with the Ukrainian president the progress of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Kyiv, in turn, continues to insist that diplomacy should be accompanied by military, economic, and sanctions pressure on Moscow.
After the White House, Zelensky was supposed to hold talks with American senators. Congress continues to discuss a sanctions bill aimed at countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, as well as against Russian financial and political structures.
Why Zelensky and Netanyahu ended up in Washington simultaneously
Both leaders came to Washington not only for meetings with Trump. Zelensky and Netanyahu arrived to participate in the farewell ceremony for American Senator Lindsey Graham.
Graham was one of the most active supporters of military support for Ukraine and Israel in the US Congress. Shortly before his death, he visited Kyiv and continued to promote a bill on new sanctions against Russia and countries helping Moscow finance the war.
Before the conversation began, Zelensky expressed condolences to Trump over the senator’s death.
The visit, initially associated with the mourning ceremony, turned into a day of extremely important diplomacy: the US president consecutively held talks with the leaders of two states waging wars against adversaries closely cooperating with each other.
The meeting with Netanyahu lasted an hour and a half
After Zelensky, Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House. His talks with Trump lasted about 90 minutes. Then the Israeli prime minister left the White House without a statement for journalists.
Not only the two leaders participated in the meeting. Published photographs showed US Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth alongside them.
Such a composition of participants indicates that the discussion concerned not only the political relations between Trump and Netanyahu but also specific military, diplomatic, and regional decisions.
The main topic was Iran. In addition, a White House representative had previously reported that the parties intended to discuss negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, as well as the further expansion of the Abraham Accords.
Iran and “Pickaxe Mountain”
Before the meeting, noticeable public tension arose between Trump and Netanyahu.
It was reported that the Israeli prime minister was going to present the American president with intelligence information about the restoration of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, in particular about a fortified underground facility known as Pickaxe Mountain.
The Israeli side, according to media reports, suspects that Iran is using the diplomatic pause to move equipment and restore nuclear program facilities.
However, even before Netanyahu’s arrival, Trump stated that he knew what was happening at this facility without the Israeli prime minister. The American president suggested that Netanyahu publicly raises this issue because he wants to keep the US involved in the war against Iran.
“I don’t need Bibi to tell me about it. He talks about it because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump said. He also expressed dissatisfaction that the alleged content of the closed talks appeared in the press in advance.
Despite these words, photographs published after the start of the meeting showed Trump and Netanyahu smiling in the Oval Office.
Netanyahu wants to maintain US involvement
Netanyahu’s main task was to convince Trump not to abandon the possibility of new strikes on Iran.
The American president suspended attacks to give diplomacy another chance. Israel fears that Tehran will use the pause to restore missile production and continue work on the nuclear program.
Washington and Jerusalem agree on one thing: Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons. However, there are disagreements between the leaders on how long negotiations should continue and at what point it is necessary to return to the military scenario.
Netanyahu is interested in active American involvement because the US has heavy munitions, strategic aviation, intelligence capabilities, and refueling systems that Israel lacks for a prolonged independent campaign.
Trump, on the other hand, tries to avoid the impression that the decision to involve the US in a new phase of the war is made by the Israeli prime minister.
Lebanon and the Abraham Accords
In addition to Iran, Trump and Netanyahu discussed the development of agreements between Israel and Lebanon.
The American administration is trying to achieve a broader settlement that should limit Hezbollah’s capabilities, strengthen official Lebanon, and gradually reduce Israel’s direct military presence on Lebanese territory.
Netanyahu demands guarantees that the withdrawal of Israeli forces will not allow Hezbollah to return to the border and restore its armed infrastructure.
Another topic was the expansion of the Abraham Accords — a system of agreements on the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states.
Trump seeks to achieve Saudi Arabia’s accession. Riyadh still links normalization with the creation of a real path to a Palestinian state, which remains a serious obstacle for Netanyahu’s government.
One wording — different results
The White House called both meetings “positive and productive,” but this wording is not yet accompanied by a list of specific decisions.
After the talks with Zelensky, at least a clear practical agenda emerged: licenses for the production of Patriot interceptors, cooperation in the field of drones, and the intensification of diplomatic pressure on Russia.
After the hour-and-a-half meeting with Netanyahu, there were significantly fewer public details. It is unknown whether Trump supported new strikes on Iran, whether the parties agreed on the terms of a possible deal with Tehran, and whether progress was made on Lebanon or Saudi Arabia.
According to NANews — News of Israel, the two meetings showed that the White House is simultaneously trying to manage two major wars, not allowing allies to independently determine American strategy.
Zelensky arrived in Washington to gain more opportunities to protect Ukrainian skies and independently produce weapons. Netanyahu tried to maintain American military involvement and prevent the diplomatic pause from allowing Iran to restore its capabilities.
In both cases, the final decision remains with Trump. And in both cases, the phrase about a “positive and productive meeting” so far means the continuation of negotiations rather than the resolution of political disagreements.