Trump to Host Zelensky at White House as US-Russia Diplomacy Stalls

US President Donald Trump will host President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Tuesday, for closed-door talks in the Oval Office.

The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Washington time, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to meet Trump afterward at 11 a.m. Both leaders are also expected to attend the funeral of the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham later in the day.

During their latest meeting in Turkey earlier this month, Trump praised the Ukrainian president for doing “an amazing job” and signaled support for allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot air-defense missiles, which Kyiv urgently needs against continued Russian attacks.

US-Russia ties cool as diplomacy stalls

The White House talks come against a backdrop of cooling relations between Washington and Moscow after Trump’s earlier efforts to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin, including their summit in Alaska.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied that talks over an aerial ceasefire are underway, while Moscow has warned that intensified Ukrainian strikes inside Russia would prolong the war.

Kyiv, meanwhile, has expanded long-range attacks against Russian oil depots, refineries and logistics infrastructure, while Russia continues large-scale missile and drone strikes against Ukraine.

Diplomatic friction was also evident during last week’s talks in Manila between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – their first face-to-face meeting since September 2025. Rubio reiterated that Washington remained willing to play a “constructive” role in efforts to end the war, while Lavrov again criticized Western weapons supplies to Ukraine.

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Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting marks the latest direct engagement between Trump and Zelensky as Kyiv pushes for stronger air defenses, deeper defense cooperation and greater US leverage over Moscow.