Key facts
- President Volodymyr Zelensky may visit Washington next week.
- The potential visit is to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham.
- Zelensky could hold bilateral talks with President Donald Trump.
- The trip follows renewed diplomatic engagement between the U.S. and Ukraine.
- A revised bill to sanction Russian energy buyers has been unveiled by U.S. senators.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is considering a visit to Washington next week to attend the funeral of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and potentially hold bilateral talks with President Donald Trump, according to media reports citing diplomatic sources. The funeral is scheduled for July 28 at the Washington National Cathedral.
The President's Office has not yet confirmed Zelensky's availability for the trip, with considerations being made to send a high-ranking official in his stead. This potential visit occurs amidst a six-month pause in peace negotiations between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington.
Recent diplomatic activity has seen an uptick, with Trump's U.S. envoy to NATO, Matt Whitaker, visiting Kyiv to discuss Patriot missile deliveries and a pending U.S.-Ukraine Drone Deal. Additionally, Zelensky held a phone conversation with Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which Zelensky described as "good and important" for intensifying diplomacy and moving peace closer.
Following discussions with members of the Trump team, President Trump announced that Washington would grant Ukraine licenses to produce its own Patriot interceptors, a significant development for Ukraine's defensive capabilities. Concurrently, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has unveiled a revised bill aimed at sanctioning top buyers of Russian energy, with tariffs potentially reaching 100%, to undermine Russia's wartime revenues.