WASHINGTON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on July 28 at what may be one of the most consequential moments in US-Ukraine relations since Donald Trump's return to the White House as Kyiv looks to build support among lawmakers.
Officially, the visit is centered on the July 28 funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters in Congress. But the political significance extends far beyond the memorial service.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet Trump and then congressional leaders later in the day as the US Senate prepares to advance a bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia's energy revenues -- legislation championed by Graham before his sudden death.
The convergence of high-level diplomacy, congressional action, and shifting political dynamics inside Trump's Republican coalition gives Kyiv an opportunity to strengthen its position in Washington amid growing indications that the Trump administration is recalibrating its approach to Russia's war against Ukraine.
Following a cordial meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the recent NATO summit in Ankara -- a stark contrast to their contentious White House encounter in February last year -- the administration has appeared increasingly receptive to Kyiv's arguments.
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Zelenskyy Says Oval Office Meeting Was 'Regrettable'That evolving atmosphere has been reflected beyond official Washington.
Conservative commentator Laura Loomer, long associated with pro-Trump circles, recently visited Kyiv and subsequently reversed her previous sympathetic stance toward Moscow, underscoring broader signs that attitudes to Ukraine may be shifting within parts of Trump's political base.
Another American conservative political commentator and podcaster, Tim Pool, who was known for his harsh rhetoric toward Ukraine and opposition to US military aid for the country, said he now supports continued assistance to Kyiv. In a recent post on X, he called Ukraine's fight against Russia a struggle "for its very existence against an evil dictator" and expressed hope that Trump and the American people would support a Ukrainian victory.
Ukraine's Drone Attack Targets Moscow Region
Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on the Moscow region, according to Russian officials, reportedly hitting a residential building, a recycling plant, and a warehouse.
Nearly 400 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported early on July 28, while multiple videos posted on social media showed drones flying overhead and smoke rising across the region.
Sobyanin said most of the drones were neutralized by air defenses at long range, with 81 Ukrainian drones shot down on their approach to the Russian capital.
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said one drone struck an apartment building, while local officials said others hit a recycling plant where tires are processed into crumb rubber.
According to monitoring Telegram channels, a 3PL logistics company warehouse in Koledino, in the Moscow region, caught fire following the attack. The facility is located near a Wildberries warehouse, which was reportedly not hit.
There was no immediate confirmation from Ukrainian officials regarding reports of the drone strike on the Moscow region.
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Ukraine Hits More Wildberries Warehouses Near St. Petersburg, Occupied Crimea
As Kyiv continues to expand its long-range retaliatory strike campaign in an effort to pressure Moscow into negotiations, Ukrainian forces have recently stepped up air attacks on warehouses linked to Russian e-commerce retailer Wildberries, which is allegedly used to support the country’s military logistics, a claim Moscow has denied.
Congress Eyes Russia Sanctions
Much of the diplomatic attention during Zelenskyy's visit will center on Capitol Hill. All 100 US senators have been invited to meet the Ukrainian president on the evening of July 28 as Senate leadership prepares procedural votes on bipartisan legislation designed to reduce Russia's ability to finance its war through energy exports.
The legislative push gained momentum on July 24, when Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed closure on the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill. This sets up a key procedural vote that could come as early as July 28, RFE/RL has learned from congressional sources. The move marked the clearest sign yet that the long-stalled legislation is advancing toward a Senate floor vote, coinciding with Zelenskyy's visit to Washington.
The bill -- first introduced nearly a year ago and closely associated with Graham -- would impose tougher sanctions on Russia and countries that continue purchasing Russian energy. Lawmakers reduced proposed blanket tariffs from 500 percent to 100 percent in an effort to broaden bipartisan support.
President Trump has endorsed the legislation while requesting that it also expand sanctions targeting Iran and Hezbollah, linking the wars in Europe and the Middle East under a broader US national security framework. Hezbollah is both a militant group and a political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.
For Kyiv, passage would signal that bipartisan American backing remains intact despite political changes in Washington.
Former Ambassadors: Ukraine Must Show It Is Winning
William B. Taylor Jr., who led the US Embassy in Kyiv under President George W. Bush and later during Trump's first administration, told RFE/RL that the success of Zelenskyy's visit will depend less on new announcements than on convincing both the White House and Congress that Ukraine has momentum on the battlefield and deserves continued American support.
"The message from Ukraine is that it is doing very well," Taylor said. "Ukraine is winning. It is holding off the Russians. It's inflicting severe damage on Russian soldiers as well as the Russian economy."
Taylor argued that Ukraine's delegation must emphasize not only battlefield resilience but also the scale of European military and financial support, presenting Ukraine as a strategic asset rather than a burden. If American leaders conclude that Kyiv is helping defend European -- and by extension US -- security while steadily weakening Russia, he said, the visit should be considered a success.
Taylor also linked what he sees as a softening in Trump's rhetoric toward Ukraine to changing battlefield realities. “President Trump likes to back a winner," he said. "He must see now that Ukraine is actually on the front foot.”
According to Taylor, that perception helps explain why parts of Trump's political base appear more receptive to supporting Ukraine than they were only months ago. He argued that congressional approval of new Russia sanctions would reinforce that shift by sending a clear message to both Moscow and Kyiv that the United States remains committed to Ukraine's defense.
"It would be a strong signal to Putin that he cannot outlast the Ukrainians, the Europeans, or the Americans," Taylor said.
John E. Herbst, who preceded Taylor as US ambassador to Ukraine under George W. Bush, urged caution in interpreting the shift in attitude.
"I would not overstate the change," Herbst told RFE/RL, noting that relations between Trump and Zelenskyy have fluctuated repeatedly over the past year, alternating between warm meetings and periods of tension.
While acknowledging that recent statements by influential conservative figures such as Loomer and Pool represent a positive development for Kyiv, Herbst said that Trump ultimately makes foreign policy decisions independently of his political base, adding that he "still remains a separate actor."
"The current good feelings we see may last, or they may not,” Herbst said.
Herbst nevertheless believes Zelenskyy arrives with a concrete agenda. He expects discussions with both Trump and lawmakers to focus on advancing the Russia sanctions bill, expanding licensed production of Patriot interceptor missiles, and moving forward on joint US-Ukrainian drone production -- areas where he sees growing overlap between Ukrainian priorities and the administration's defense agenda.