Ukraine Needs More Patriots: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington this week to attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham and later met with President Donald Trump at the White House.
The visit to Washington came at a pivotal time for Ukraine’s war effort, amid reports that Trump has found a newfound appreciation for the Ukrainian cause.
Tu-160 bomber Creative Commons Image
Tu-160 Up Close. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
On social media, Zelensky posted photos of the two leaders together, calling it “a good meeting with President Trump,” and said that he had thanked Trump for his support of Ukraine, while expressing condolences on the passing of Graham, a major supporter of the Ukrainian cause who had just returned from a visit to Kyiv when he passed away earlier this month.
Trump and Zelensky, the Ukrainian President added, “discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help,” and they also discussed diplomatic processes.
“I am grateful to the United States for its firm support,” he added. Axios had more details about the meeting in an interview with Zelensky, in which the Ukrainian president said he had asked for a “winter package” of Patriot air defense systems to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from Russian attacks in winter. The Ukrainian leader told Axios that the request was for 300 Patriots.
Trump, Zelensky told Axios, agreed to “move ahead” with the product licenses for the Patriot missiles, although it’s not clear how Trump responded to the request for a “winter package.”
Axios noted that the U.S. stocks of Patriot missiles have become depleted, as a result of the Iran War.
Other Meetings
Also, during his visit to Washington, Zelensky met with members of Congress from both parties, with more than 60 Senators present.
“Thank you for this support and for your high assessment of the results of our warriors on the front lines and Ukraine’s ability to respond justly to Russia for its strikes against our people,” Zelensky added. He went on to note that the Senate held a procedural vote on a Russia sanctions measure that Graham had been pushing right up to his death.
Russia Tu-160 Bomber on Tarmac. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
In that vote, 86 senators voted for the bill.
Zelensky also met with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, the two defense firms involved in producing Patriot technology, during his visit to Washington this week.
He had met with Raytheon representatives earlier in July, in Kyiv. Zelensky and the companies, Axios reported, also discussed modifying Ukrainian-made ballistic missiles into missile receivers, which Zelensky described to Axios as “faster and cheaper.”
Also, Zelensky said on social media that on the way back from Washington, he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, to whom he described his meetings with the president and Congress.
“We need to seize every opportunity that can bring us closer to peace, and we coordinated our possible steps,” the Ukrainian leader said of his discussions with his French counterpart. “I am grateful for President Macron’s readiness to help and to make every necessary effort.
Volodymyr and Bibi
Another world leader who traveled to Washington for Graham’s funeral, and later to meet with Trump, was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Before the funeral, the two leaders spoke and shook hands in what the Times of Israel described as their first in-person meeting in more than three years; they had not spoken at all since early 2025.
Haaretz reported that the Israeli leader “rebuffed” a request for the two to meet, and that a Ukrainian source said Netanyahu’s office had proposed a sit-down but never responded after the Ukrainian president agreed.
The Israeli outlet described the meeting at the funeral as “quite serious but cordial,” although both men smiled during the exchange.
The Times of Israel also reported that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, and invited him to Israel, and that the Ukrainian minister had accepted. Ukraine had also at one point asked to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system, although Netanyahu ruled that out in 2023.
Israel has, for the most part, maintained neutrality in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. One reason was thought to be Russia’s presence in Syria during the Assad regime, but that regime’s collapse did not seem to change Israel’s posture.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
