Volodymyr Zelensky has said Donald Trump agreed to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot air-defence interceptors after what he described as a “good meeting” at the White House on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian President also argued that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has lost the initiative on the battlefield because of heavy losses, as Kyiv continues to press for stronger Western military support.
The leaders spent just over an hour in talks amid an escalation in long-range strikes by both Ukraine and Russia, while US-led diplomatic efforts to bring the war to an end remain stalled.
Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity after the meeting, Zelensky said: “Today we had good meeting with President Trump.
“He accepted that he will give us (Patriot) licenses, and then I had meeting with representatives of production, very strong military companies of the United States. I hope that we will do co-production.”
Following the talks, Trump also struck an optimistic tone, posting photographs from the meeting on social media alongside the message: “Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well!”
Relations between the two leaders have improved since the beginning of Trump’s second term, with the US President suggesting earlier this month that Ukrainian strikes inside Russia could help bring the war to an end, reports Gulf News.
Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Kyiv’s main priorities were securing fresh supplies of anti-ballistic missiles and finding ways to reinvigorate diplomacy more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“It is crucial that Washington approve the purchase of a package of Patriot missiles. That is super important,” the official said.
The renewed appeal comes after the United Nations reported that last month was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, as Russia stepped up its use of ballistic missiles that are difficult to intercept.
During his visit to Washington, Zelensky also attended a memorial ceremony for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Ukraine who died unexpectedly this month at the age of 71.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has ended direct US arms deliveries to Kyiv, instead allowing European countries to purchase American weapons on Ukraine’s behalf.
Even so, Washington remains one of Ukraine’s key allies, continuing to provide intelligence support and access to the Starlink satellite system used for battlefield communications.
The latest White House meeting marks a further improvement in relations after the pair’s extraordinary Oval Office confrontation in February 2025, when Trump accused Zelensky of ingratitude and of “gambling with World War III.”
Earlier this month, during talks in Turkey, Trump praised Zelensky for doing “an amazing job” and offered Ukraine licences to manufacture Patriot missiles.
Last week, Zelensky also met Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to discuss ways to “reinvigorate diplomacy” after the war in the Middle East pushed Ukraine down Washington’s list of foreign policy priorities.
Previous US mediation efforts ultimately foundered over the issue of Ukrainian territory claimed by Russia.