Baba UmarWashington DC — Ahead of the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, all the action was taking place at the White House, where the US President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of two key allies — one seeking a dignified peace and the other an extension of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu each met separately with Trump on Tuesday. Both left the White House after meetings lasting more than an hour and described their respective sessions as "positive."
Zelenskyy praised a "good meeting" with Trump, saying both sides discussed licences to produce Patriot air-defence interceptors and ways to revive talks with Russia to end the largest and deadliest conflict on European soil since World War II.
The Ukrainian leader spent over an hour with Trump; a meeting Zelenskyy hailed in his statement on X.
"Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace," Zelenskyy said.
"The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help," he added. "We also spoke about diplomacy — it's important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting as "positive and productive." Their meeting began at 9:47 am (local time) and was closed to media.
Anti-Netanyahu protests
Security was exceptionally tight around the White House. Only pedestrians were permitted on the streets surrounding the world’s most famous residence, while barricades, police cars and dump trucks completely blocked all vehicular traffic.
Near the White House, pro-Palestine protesters jeered Netanyahu before he could meet with Trump, waving banners and chanting slogans that called him a "war criminal" and demanded the "full return of Palestine to Palestinian sovereignty."
It was Netanyahu's first in-person meeting with President Trump since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28. The talks, closed to media, lasted around 90 minutes and marked their eighth overall meeting since Trump returned to office in early 2025.
"It was an extremely positive meeting. The Prime Minister and President held an excellent and comprehensive discussion on the key issues of the day, first and foremost Iran," a senior source in the premier's delegation told journalists. "The leaders reaffirmed their ironclad commitment to ensuring that Iran never has nuclear weapons."
Both Netanyahu and Zelenskyy are also attending the funeral of Graham, a key ally who has vigorously lobbied the Trump administration to support both countries amid their respective wars.
Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died suddenly of a heart ailment on July 11 at 71, was known in Washington as a war hawk who consistently pushed for an interventionist US role on the global stage and was a staunch supporter of both Israel and Ukraine.
Only a day before his death, he met with Zelenskyy in Kiev — his tenth visit to Ukraine since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022.
After Graham's funeral, Zelenskyy is expected to head to the US Capitol for talks with senators, who are preparing to vote on a bipartisan package of new sanctions against Russia — legislation that Graham had spent his final days working to advance.
Trump-Netanyahu friction
After his meeting with the US leader, Netanyahu posted a video posted on his Instagram account, described his meeting with Trump as "excellent."
He said that it was "a conversation with full partnership, with mutual support, with an understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and other goals as well. One of the best conversations I've had with the President of the United States, our friend Donald Trump."
Netanyahu said that Trump’s "entire senior team" was present at the meeting, as well as "our senior team," and that it was "an opportunity to exchange ideas and to coordinate arrangements that are important for the security and future of the State of Israel."
In April, relations between Trump and Netanyahu hit a low during Pakistan-backed ceasefire talks with Iran, as Trump directed profanity-laced tirades at his Israeli ally.
On Tuesday, hours before the two leaders were due to meet, Trump said Netanyahu should have raised concerns about Iran's underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility privately rather than publicly.
Trump suggested Netanyahu was highlighting the site in an attempt to persuade Washington to remain involved in the war with Iran.
"I don't need Bibi to tell me," Trump stressed, adding that the US was fully aware of developments at the facility and knew "exactly what’s going on."
