Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyj at the NATO summit in Ankara. Already there, the US President made strikingly positive comments about the Ukrainian.Image: keystone
analysis
Donald Trump has long been considered Vladimir Putin’s buddy and admirer. Now he seems to be turning his attention to Ukraine. A main reason is their successes in the war against Russia.
July 29, 2026, 3:06 p.mJuly 29, 2026, 3:06 p.m
Things couldn’t have started any worse: Volodymyr Zelenskyj’s first meeting with Donald Trump after his inauguration in February 2025 turned out to be a disaster. The Ukrainian and the US President clashed violently in front of the cameras. Before the agreed lunch, Zelensky was thrown out of the White House.
It was a catastrophe for Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia. US support was essential to their fight for survival. Since then, at least in the material sphere, it has largely dried up. At the same time, Donald Trump demonstrated his sympathy or even admiration for the Russian aggressor Vladimir Putin.
Meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky escalates
Video: external
They spoke on the phone several times, whereupon Trump tended to adopt the Russian point of view. Last August there was a questionable summit at an air base in Alaska. It ended without tangible resultsbut Trump’s weakness for the supposedly strong Putin was obvious.
Very good meeting
But times have changed. On Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelenskyj traveled to Washington again. Official reason was the memorial service for Senator Lindsey Graham. He was not only a Trump confidant, but also an ardent supporter of Ukraine. Shortly before his death, he had traveled to Kiev for the tenth time since the start of the war.
Before the state ceremony at the National Cathedral, the Ukrainian president met again with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Unlike the scandal 17 months ago, no media was allowed, but in the official photo Zelenskyj appears satisfied. Both spoke of a good and, in Trump’s case, very good meeting.
“Impressive job”
Zelensky’s wish for more Patriot missiles to defend against Russian attacks was not fulfilled. Stockpiles have dwindled due to Trump’s war against Iran. But apparently Trump has promised to grant Ukraine the license to produce the Patriot systemsZelensky said in an interview with Fox News afterwards.
Trump already had this indicated at the NATO summit in Ankara three weeks ago and thus caused a stir, as did the praise for the previously scolded Zelensky. He is doing “an impressive job,” said the US President. In effect, he was honoring Ukraine’s successes in its attacks on Russian territory.
Trump wants success
They use long-range drones to damage oil refineries and disrupt gasoline supplies. The Russians are directly feeling the consequences of the war, something Vladimir Putin always wanted to avoid. The same applies to attacks on distribution centers of the online retailer Wildberries. On Wednesday it was one hit south of Moscow.
“President Trump wants to be where the success is,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times. in his Kiev office before the NATO summit. The US President likes winners, and Ukraine currently appears to have the advantage against Russia, even if reports from the actual war front in Donbass are contradictory.
Laura Loomer’s about-face
The US President is more critical of Vladimir Putin’s stubbornness and become more receptive to Ukraine’s military successeswrote the Financial Times. Not everyone around him sees it the same way. Vice President JD Vance is considered to be skeptical of Ukraine, but ultra-right influencer Laura Loomer’s trip to Kiev recently caused a sensation.
Laura Loomer speaks with President Zelensky during her visit to Kiev.Image: keystone
For a long time she acted as the Kremlin’s speaking puppet, but now she has radically changed her views and changed sides. This was helped by the fact that she personally witnessed a Russian air raid on Kyiv. She then wrote on social media that she was ashamed of having downplayed the suffering of Ukrainians for years.
Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv
Trump is listening to Loomer as his relationship with Putin friend Tucker Carlson has cooled. She is also said to have suggested a trip to Kiev by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, which is scheduled to take place soon. It would be the first after several meetings between Witkoff and Putin in Moscow.
Zelensky had complained bitterly about this. The trip would be another success for him. There was even more good news for him on Tuesday when he met with US senators after Lindsey Graham’s memorial service. Together with his democratic counterpart Richard Blumenthal, he had drafted a package of tough sanctions against Russia.
Senate for Russia Sanctions
Among other things, it provides for steep punitive tariffs for those countries that continue to buy gas and oil from Russia. This primarily refers to China and India. The package was blocked in the Senate for a long time, also because Trump balked. On Tuesday, however, Zelenskyj was able to see in the spectator gallery how the Senate voted in favor by a large majority.
On Tuesday, Zelensky met with members of the US Senate from both parties.Image: keystone
It was only a preliminary decision, but the final vote could take place this week. The House of Representatives, which has already gone on vacation, must then agree. The sanctions package is therefore unlikely to come into force until September at the earliest. In this case, too, recent successes on the battlefield play an important role.
Kyiv can win
“President Zelensky has accomplished something that seemed impossible a year ago: convincing Washington that Kiev can win the war,” Politico concluded. Nothing is dry yet. It wouldn’t be surprising if Vladimir Putin picked up the phone again and tried to stop Trump from signing off on the sanctions package.
According to observers, Ukraine will probably not be able to produce its own Patriots until next year at the earliest. There is a threat of another brutal winter of war. But the Ukrainians have repeatedly achieved seemingly impossible things in times of need. And the momentum in the US has tipped their way, at least for the moment.
Whether it will stay that way remains to be seen. It’s better not to rely on Donald Trump. At the moment, however, he seems to have become a friend of Ukraine. It’s a plus point for Zelensky, who has just been released because of the dismissal of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov the biggest domestic political crisis since the beginning of the war had to survive.