What Netanyahu and Zelenskyy are hoping to accomplish after meetings with Trump - PBS

What the report says

PBS NewsHour reported that President Donald Trump met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on July 28, 2026, before eulogizing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham at a memorial service. Correspondent Nick Schifrin framed the day as a convergence of two foreign leaders closely associated with Graham, who had been a prominent supporter of Israel and Ukraine.

According to PBS, Netanyahu described his Oval Office meeting as “excellent” and said it reflected partnership with the United States on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, among other goals. The report also noted recent strains between Trump and Netanyahu, including disagreements over Israel’s military posture in southern Lebanon, how to approach Iran, and the political fallout in the United States from the war in Gaza, where criticism of Netanyahu has grown across parts of both parties.

PBS reported that Trump’s tone toward Zelenskyy has recently softened after earlier public clashes over the war with Russia. Ukrainian officials told NewsHour the meeting was practical and centered on reviving diplomacy, including the possibility that presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could visit Ukraine. The segment also cited Ukraine’s recent battlefield initiative, including strikes inside Russia and efforts to disrupt supply lines to Russian-occupied Crimea.

The meetings mattered because they highlighted how Trump is managing two major wartime relationships amid shifting U.S. political pressure. Graham’s memorial added symbolic weight: PBS noted that his final trip was to Kyiv and that a Russia sanctions package he had promoted was expected to advance soon.