ABC News July 28, 2026

Netanyahu and Zelenskyy meet separately with Trump at the White House

WATCH: Netanyahu and Zelenskyy meet separately with President Trump at White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met separately with President Donald Trump on Tuesday amid global conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine

The meetings with Trump were expected to give both leaders a chance to push their agendas with the president at a time when U.S. policy towards Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war continues to be in flux. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media announcing the two separate meetings with the leaders had wrapped up. 

"President Trump has concluded his meetings in the Oval Office with President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both meetings were positive and productive!" she said in a post on X. 

Zelenskyy and Netanyahu also attended the funeral of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly earlier this month

Graham was a staunch supporter of Israel and was highly critical of Iran. He also met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv the day before his death and had been in the process of advancing a Senate bill to strengthen sanctions on Russia.

Netanyahu faces a delicate balancing act 

Netanyahu last came to Washington to meet with Trump in February, days before the U.S. entered into a months-long conflict with Iran. Tuesday officially marks five months of the war.

In an interview on "Fox & Friends" before the meeting, Trump criticized Netanyahu over media reports suggesting the prime minister planned to discuss Israeli intelligence about potential Iranian excavation at Pickaxe Mountain, known as Kūh-e Kolang or "Mount Kolang" in Iran, a nuclear site that is under construction and buried deep below the ground one mile south of the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex near Isfahan.

“Well, I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump said.

“I heard Bibi announced that. I said, why don't you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?" he added.  

Two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News the discussion focused mainly on Iran, but the issue of Pickaxe Mountain did not come up.

After the meeting, Netanyahu said it was "one of the best conversations I've had" with Trump.

"It was a conversation of full partnership, of mutual support, with an understanding of the shared goal to ensure that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, and also other goals,' he said.

"Well, I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved," Trump said.

The two also did not discuss the potential U.S. sales of F-35 fighters to Turkey, the sources said.

The two did talk about expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia, the sources said.

Trump and Netanyahu had been in lockstep since Trump began his second term, but in recent weeks tensions between the two had considerably risen, with Trump calling the Israeli leader "crazy" and declaring: "Without me, there would be no Israel."

Zelenskyy seeks end to Russia's incursion

Zelenskyy and Trump last met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, earlier this month and the two were expected to continue discussions on finding a pathway to ending the multiyear war with Russia.

Following their meeting on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said he and Trump had a "good" meeting and the two discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor missiles.

"The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy -- it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated. Our teams will arrange the details of their further communication. I am grateful to the United States for its firm support," he said in a post on X.  

In recent weeks, Zelenskyy has called for diplomatic efforts to ‌ensure Kyiv can secure weapons and missiles more quickly amid a shortage that has left it exposed to Russian attacks.

During the Turkey summit, Trump announced that the U.S. would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriots in a boost to Ukraine, which has long sought permission to produce the defensive weapons.

Discussions on Ukraine's dwindling weapons stockpile comes as sources confirmed to ABC News that top national security officials discussed the impact a major escalation in the U.S. and Iran conflict could have on the Pentagon's depleting stockpiles of air defense interceptors, including Patriots.

Trump rejected reports that the U.S. military is facing shortages of missile interceptors and blamed the previous Biden administration for sending large amounts of weapons to Ukraine.

Asked about reports that U.S. stocks of certain munitions had declined, Trump said the country has “a lot of ammunition, different types.”

“Biden gave a lot to Ukraine, and so we’re building that up. But we have a lot. We have a lot of the mid-level stuff too. I mean, more than we could ever use,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Monday. 

“I'd like to have more, to be honest. But so much was given to Ukraine by Biden,” he added.

The war entered a new phase over the weekend with Zelenskyy announcing his country’s forces struck targets in the Caspian Sea "including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran" and a Russian warship.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the deadly attack “cannot go unanswered," calling it a violation of the United Nations charter.

ABC News' Jordana Miller and Desiree Adib contributed to this report