US President Donald Trump (right) holds bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, during the NATO Leaders Summit on July 8 (local time). [Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump (right) holds bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, during the NATO Leaders Summit on July 8 (local time). [Getty Images]

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US President Donald Trump wrapped up back-to-back meetings Tuesday (local time) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, drawing close attention to how the talks could shape the trajectories of both the Iran war and the war in Ukraine. Unlike his usual practice of opening meetings with foreign leaders to the press and making wide-ranging remarks, Trump kept both sessions entirely closed to the media.

Trump met Zelensky at the White House on Tuesday morning. The meeting was held behind closed doors, departing from the typical format in which such sessions begin with a question-and-answer exchange with reporters.

After the meeting, Zelensky said on social media that the two leaders had discussed licensing for Patriot interceptor missile production and peace negotiations.

Trump had previously pledged to grant a Patriot interceptor missile production license when he met Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, earlier this month — a significant win for Zelensky, who urgently needs interceptor missiles to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks.

In Tuesday's meeting, Zelensky was expected to have focused on follow-up discussions on securing the Patriot missile production license.

The two leaders may also have discussed a potential truce framework based on halting long-range strikes between Ukraine and Russia.

Some analysts suggest the meeting signals that Trump, having made little headway toward ending the Iran war, may be shifting his focus toward scoring a diplomatic win on Ukraine. Harry Nedelcu of European advisory firm Rasmussen Global told The New York Times that "the relationship between Iran and the US is still very volatile" and that "Ukraine has come into focus."

However, Nedelcu added that for both Trump and Zelensky, the meeting represented "a moment to acknowledge and leverage each other's diplomatic efforts." Zelensky has also faced a sharp political backlash after dismissing the defense minister who had successfully led Ukraine's drone warfare campaign.

Trump stunned the world in late February last year when he publicly and harshly rebuked Zelensky during a White House visit. By comparison, the two leaders are now seen as having returned to a considerably warmer relationship.

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in December last year. [Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in December last year. [Getty Images]

Trump also held a closed-door meeting with Netanyahu, following his session with Zelensky.

Although Netanyahu has spoken with Trump frequently by phone since the Iran war began, Tuesday marked their first in-person meeting. With a general election looming, Netanyahu had actively pushed for a White House meeting, given his urgent need for the Iran war to continue and for Trump's political backing.

AFP, citing a Netanyahu aide, reported that the meeting was "very productive" and that the two leaders reaffirmed their ironclad commitment to Iran's denuclearization.

Before the meeting, however, Trump had publicly vented his frustration with Netanyahu. Reports that Netanyahu planned to share intelligence about Pickaxe Mountain — believed to be a new underground Iranian nuclear facility — appeared to have irritated Trump.

In a Fox News interview Tuesday, Trump said, "I know exactly what's happening at Pickaxe Mountain," adding, "Why does he have to go out and tell the whole world instead of just telling me?" The remarks suggested Trump suspects Netanyahu of waging a public relations campaign to rally his base by prolonging the Iran war.

The meeting was expected to have covered updates on the state of negotiations with Iran and how to proceed. Netanyahu is also believed to have pressed Trump to visit Israel before the general election.

Trump has been wrestling with how to find an exit from the protracted Iran war, while Netanyahu remains wary of any US-Iran peace negotiations. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said both meetings were "positive and productive," without providing further details.


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