President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met President Trump at the White House on Tuesday as their relationship appears stronger than ever before \u2014 even as both men face challenges at home.<\/p>\n
At the meeting, Mr. Zelensky, still confronting domestic fallout over sacking both his defense minister<\/a> and army chief<\/a>, was hoping to reboot stalled peace talks<\/a> in Ukraine\u2019s war against Russia and to push for more U.S. help with weapons, particularly air defense. It was likely, analysts said, that the men would discuss the potential of a cease-fire in long-range airstrikes between Russia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n Mr. Zelensky also attended the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly on July 11<\/a>, hours after returning from Ukraine. The South Carolina Republican was perhaps Ukraine\u2019s biggest ally in Mr. Trump\u2019s circle<\/a>, whose members have typically echoed Russian talking points.<\/p>\n Some analysts have speculated that Mr. Graham\u2019s death might push Mr. Trump to be more sympathetic toward Ukraine. Some have also taken note of the visit this month to Ukraine by the right-wing activist Laura Loomer<\/a>, part of the MAGA movement, who has recently expressed support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n Others said Mr. Trump wanted to revive peace talks because he needed a diplomatic win and because reaching a lasting cease-fire in the U.S. war on Iran has proved elusive<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe relationship with Iran is still very much fragile,\u201d said Harry Nedelcu, a senior director at Rasmussen Global, a European political advisory firm. So, he added, \u201cUkraine comes to the forefront.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut most importantly for both men,\u201d he continued, \u201cthis is a moment where they could validate each other\u2019s diplomatic efforts and leverage each other. Trump could leverage Zelensky, and Zelensky could help him validate his own administration at a time when domestically, Trump is not doing very well.\u201d<\/p>\n The two leaders have long had a tricky relationship<\/a>. Their meeting at the White House<\/a> at the beginning of Mr. Trump\u2019s second term was a disaster, punctuated by Mr. Zelensky\u2019s being asked to leave. The Trump administration has consistently leaned toward Russia<\/a> in peace negotiations, saying Mr. Zelensky did not have the cards to win. Under Mr. Trump, the United States cut off almost all military aid to Ukraine.<\/p>\n Mr. Zelensky has worked hard to mollify Mr. Trump in subsequent meetings<\/a>. And Ukraine has fared better<\/a> against Russia this year than expected, largely because of its drone advances. Ukraine is projecting the kind of strength that Mr. Trump typically favors.<\/p>\n The United States has also turned to Ukraine for help with drones<\/a> and with drone interceptors<\/a>, particularly in the war on Iran.<\/p>\n Got a confidential news tip?\u00a0The New York Times would like to hear from readers who want to share messages and materials with our journalists.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a better chemistry now I see between them,\u201d said Volodymyr Dubovyk, director of the Center for International Studies at Odesa National University in Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe Zelensky understands Trump a little better,\u201d he added. \u201cMaybe Trump understands Zelensky a little bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n Ukraine has even peripherally entered the fray in the Iran war, hitting an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea with a long-range drone<\/a> on Saturday. Iran, which has long provided drone technology to Russia that is used against Ukraine, said the ship was a commercial vessel, vowed retaliation and accused Ukraine of deliberately widening the war. Mr. Zelensky said Kyiv had struck a cargo vessel moving military supplies between Iran and Russia.<\/p>\n While Ukraine\u2019s long-range drones have also caused damage in parts of Russia<\/a>, Ukraine is at a significant disadvantage in the air war. So far in July, Russia has fired 117 ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities, according to a New York Times data set based on numbers from the Ukrainian Air Force, almost a monthly record.<\/p>\n Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly asked for more U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles \u2014 the only air defense system Ukraine possesses that is capable of shooting down Russia\u2019s ballistic missiles. This month, in another positive sign for Ukraine, Mr. Trump agreed to allow Ukraine to produce the interceptors<\/a>, although ramping up production will take years.<\/p>\n Ms. Loomer, who often talks to Mr. Trump<\/a>, is emblematic of the shift in thinking on the war from part of Mr. Trump\u2019s base.<\/p>\n Like others in the MAGA movement, she used to regularly espouse Russian talking points and oppose U.S. aid for Ukraine. But this year, Ms. Loomer said in an interview with The New York Times, she started questioning her beliefs, describing a \u201cwoke right\u201d of influential media figures including Tucker Carlson who had swallowed Russian propaganda on Ukraine and were undermining American national security.<\/p>\n Last week, she made a surprise visit to Ukraine, traveling about 35 hours from her home in Florida to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. On Thursday, Ms. Loomer interviewed Mr. Zelensky<\/a> in a garden near the presidential residence, acknowledging that she felt a moral obligation to correct the record.<\/p>\n Ms. Loomer, who said she had repeatedly gone to bomb shelters during air raid sirens, said on Saturday that she had called Mr. Trump twice from Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said, \u2018Oh, tell Zelensky I said hello,\u2019\u201d Ms. Loomer recounted as her team drove from the eastern city of Kharkiv to Kyiv, stopping at military checkpoints and to film a video at a bombed-out gas station.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then, you know, I knew that Zelensky would be at the White House next week, and Zelensky had nothing but nice things to say,\u201d Ms. Loomer added, noting that she intended to spend another week in Ukraine visiting factories and military sites.<\/p>\n