28th July 2026
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday with more cards in his hand to try and secure further US support against Russia.
Ukrainian forces have been striking oil refineries, fuel infrastructure, military-industrial facilities and logistics targets deep inside Russia. Ukraine says that in June alone it struck 11 Russian oil refineries and eight defence-industry facilities, with some strikes reaching more than 2,000 km from Ukraine.
The Black Sea has also changed dramatically. Ukraine's use of naval and aerial drones has seriously restricted Russian naval operations and has extended the threat to Russian shipping and oil infrastructure.
In July, Ukrainian attacks forced Russia to suspend shipping in the Sea of Azov after dozens of vessels were targeted.
Most recently, Russia's major Sheskharis oil terminal at Novorossiysk reportedly suspended tanker loading following Ukrainian attacks. That is potentially much more consequential than simply damaging a warship because it attacks the machinery that generates Russian export revenue.
Ukraine hasn't literally chased the entire Russian fleet out of the Black Sea, but Russia has had to move much of its valuable naval capability away from its former operating position around Crimea, while Ukrainian drone warfare has made the Black Sea increasingly dangerous for Russian vessels.
That is a very substantial change from 2022.
And this is where Trump's position gets interesting
The meeting at the White House is scheduled for today, 28 July, and the timing is significant.
Trump is no longer dealing with a Ukrainian president simply asking America to save Ukraine.
He is dealing with a Ukrainian president who can say:
"Russia is also becoming vulnerable."
That changes the negotiating equation.
Ukraine cannot defeat Russia by destroying a few refineries or ships. Russia is much larger and still possesses enormous military resources.
But Ukraine doesn't necessarily have to defeat Russia.
It needs to convince Putin that continuing the war is becoming progressively more expensive and dangerous.
That is precisely what the deep-strike campaign is designed to do.
Trump has also moved somewhat
There is another important change.
At the NATO summit earlier this month, Trump agreed to allow Ukraine to pursue production of Patriot PAC-3 interceptors under US licensing, while European countries are increasingly involved in financing and supplying American weapons to Ukraine.
Trump has also been increasingly frustrated with Putin's unwillingness to move towards a settlement.
That doesn't make Trump a straightforward supporter of an unlimited Ukrainian war. His objective remains ending the conflict.
But there is a significant difference between:
"Zelensky needs to accept whatever peace Russia will offer."
and
"We need to give Ukraine enough strength to make Russia accept a better peace."
The second position gives Zelensky considerably more room.
What could Zelensky actually ask Trump for?
Many suspect the meeting will be less about asking America to fight Russia and more about turning Ukraine's existing capabilities into a much stronger negotiating position.
The obvious requests are likely to include:
More air defence
Ukraine badly needs Patriot interceptors because Russia continues to use ballistic missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities. Trump has already opened the door to increased supplies.
More long-range weapons and intelligence.
This is where Ukraine's ability to hit Russian infrastructure becomes particularly important.
Continued American political backing.
Ukraine needs to know that Washington will remain engaged rather than suddenly declaring the war over on Russian terms.
Pressure on Putin
There is also the possibility of tougher sanctions. A bipartisan US Senate effort to advance sanctions legislation targeting Russia and countries buying Russian exports is moving forward.
And there is one particularly interesting development: Ukraine is increasingly demonstrating that it can attack Russia's economic infrastructure without American troops being involved.
That could make the proposition much more attractive to Trump.
The real question: has Zelensky gained "cards"?
Yes — but they are not the cards Trump may have meant in that Oval Office confrontation.
Ukraine's cards are now:
Russia's vulnerability to deep drone strikes;
the growing threat to Russian oil production and exports;
the continuing degradation of Russian naval freedom in the Black Sea;
Ukraine's ability to manufacture increasingly sophisticated weapons itself;
growing European financial and military support;
and the fact that Russia has still failed to achieve a decisive victory despite years of fighting.
That does not mean Ukraine is winning the war outright.
But it means Russia cannot simply assume that time is automatically on its side.
And that is perhaps the most important change.
Why today's meeting could matter
Three possible outcomes
1. Does Trump offer additional weapons?
2. Does he signal that Russia, rather than Ukraine, needs to make concessions?
3. Does he connect continued US support with increased pressure on Putin?
If the answer to all three is yes, then today's meeting could mark a genuine shift from the humiliating confrontation we saw previously.
The irony is that Zelensky may now have more cards precisely because Ukraine has demonstrated that it can make the war hurt inside Russia itself.