Zelensky at the White House to convince Trump to continue supporting Ukraine

The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time (13:30 p.m. GMT). Volodymyr Zelensky He arrives at the White House with a clear objective: to obtain guarantees of American support against Russia, more than four years after the start of the invasion. "We are preparing for a meeting with the President of the United States and his team," the Ukrainian leader said, adding that he hoped Washington "will continue to support Ukraine and that we can end this war with a dignified peace."

The visit takes place on the same day as the tribute paid to Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11 at the age of 71, and who was one of the most consistent defenders of the Ukrainian cause in the US Congress.

The progress made since February 2025 is considerable. At the time, the two presidents clashed publicly in the Oval Office, with Trump accusing Zelensky of ingratitude and of "playing with World War III." Since then, the tone has changed dramatically. During their last meeting in early July in Turkey, Trump praised the "terrific" work of his Ukrainian counterpart and raised the possibility of allowing Ukraine to produce its own Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, which it desperately needs to counter Russian strikes.

Signals from the MAGA sphere confirm this warming trend: influencers close to Donald Trump Laura Loomer and Tim Pool, who were long opposed to any aid to Kyiv, have recently shown their support for Ukraine.

On the military front, the situation remains tense on both sides. During the night of Monday to Tuesday, more than 390 Ukrainian drones targeted the Moscow region, according to the mayor of the Russian capital, causing damage to some homes. Russia, for its part, continues its massive bombing campaign and repeatedly strikes the port of Odessa, paralyzing Ukrainian maritime agricultural exports. In recent weeks, Kyiv has stepped up its attacks against refineries, oil depots, and warehouses belonging to the e-commerce giant Wildberries, triggering a fuel crisis in Russia.

Since returning to power, Trump has largely suspended direct US arms deliveries to Kyiv, replacing them with the PURL program, which allows Europeans to purchase equipment for subsequent transfer to Ukraine. Washington, however, maintains intelligence support and access to the Starlink network, essential for Ukrainian military communications on the front lines.

Last week, Zelensky met with Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in an attempt to "revitalize diplomacy," which had stalled since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East in late February. Previous attempts at American mediation had foundered on the issue of Ukrainian territories claimed by Moscow.

Russian-American relations have deteriorated further. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied on Monday the existence of ceasefire talks in the air. In Manila last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned his American counterpart, Marco Rubio, against continuing arms deliveries to Ukraine during a meeting that lasted only about 30 minutes. Rubio reaffirmed Washington's willingness to play a "constructive" role in ending the conflict, without showing any receptiveness to Russian proposals. The last telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump was on July 5.