Zelenskyy meets Trump at White House as Ukraine seeks more US support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held closed-door talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, as Ukraine sought renewed diplomatic and military support in its war against Russia.

Zelenskyy spent just over an hour with Trump, and while no details were immediately released, the talks came as Kyiv and Moscow intensified long-range strikes and US-led efforts to end the war remained stalled.

"A good meeting with President Trump at the Oval Office. Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X after the meeting.

"The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication. I am grateful to the United States for its firm support."

Relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have improved since the start of the US president's second term. Earlier this month, Trump offered Kyiv licences to produce Patriot air defence missiles and suggested Ukrainian strikes inside Russia could help bring the war to an end.

Last month was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, according to the United Nations, as Russia stepped up its use of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles.