Trump receives Zelenskyy at White House ahead of Senator Graham's funeral

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Tuesday for a closed-door meeting. The encounter took place shortly before both leaders were expected to attend the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent supporter of Ukraine in Congress.

The meeting, which began at 9:47 a.m. Washington time, comes more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Zelenskyy is actively pressing Western allies for additional air defense systems and ammunition to counter ongoing Russian drone attacks.

Meanwhile, President Trump's campaign promise to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow remains stalled, with no concrete progress reported. Zelenskyy is also scheduled to meet with a group of senators advocating for a resolution to intensify sanctions against Russia before departing the United States on Tuesday night.

Senator Graham, a close associate of Trump and a proponent of interventionist foreign policy, passed away on July 11 due to a cardiac emergency shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine, where he had met with Zelenskyy. President Trump is also set to receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, who will also be attending Graham's funeral.