Trump Warms to Zelensky After Months of Doubt, Ahead of Tuesday White House Meeting

President Trump spent more than a year telling advisers privately that Ukraine was losing its war against Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal. That view has shifted in recent weeks. People who've spoken with Trump say he's grown impressed with Volodymyr Zelensky's resilience, particularly Ukraine's success striking deep into Russian territory.

A senior administration official told the Journal that Trump likes winners, and that Zelensky is increasingly looking like one in the president's eyes. Trump has specifically admired Ukraine's drone industry, the Journal reported, including its ability to defend against the same kind of drones the U.S. has faced in the conflict with Iran.

"We've actually developed a good relationship. It's hard to believe, right?" Trump said during a July meeting with Zelensky in Turkey, according to the Journal.

From Oval Office Blowup to Cautious Thaw

Last year Trump called Zelensky a dictator, criticized his leadership publicly, and berated him during a televised Oval Office meeting in February 2025. Within days of that meeting, Trump paused all U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine and grew reluctant to send further assistance.

That blowup triggered a monthslong repair campaign led by European leaders and Republicans on Capitol Hill, including the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, according to the Journal. Graham was among the GOP voices pushing to patch up the relationship between the two men.

The shift toward warmer relations, per the Journal's sourcing, tracks with a string of meetings on the sidelines of global summits where Zelensky has worked to build rapport with Trump. European leaders reportedly coordinated much of that outreach.

Tuesday's Meeting

Zelensky is scheduled to be in Washington Tuesday for Sen. Graham's funeral, and he's set to visit the White House while there. It will be his first meeting with Trump since October.

It will be the first face-to-face test of whether Trump's newfound goodwill translates into anything concrete on military aid, sanctions on Russia, or a peace framework. Trump came into office skeptical of the war and promised he could end it in 24 hours. He has since acknowledged frustration that no deal has materialized, according to the Journal.

A White House official told the Journal the administration remains committed to playing a constructive role in ending the war and is talking to both sides. The official said Trump is optimistic a peace deal can still be reached.

The Case for Skepticism

Trump's read on foreign leaders has swung before, and fast. People close to Trump told the Journal that his views can change quickly, and they specifically flagged that Vladimir Putin has proved effective in the past at pressing his own case directly with Trump and his aides.

Nothing about a warmer personal rapport between Trump and Zelensky guarantees a durable U.S. policy shift. Words in a Turkey sideline meeting are not the same as a signed aid package or a sanctions regime on Moscow. Anyone treating this as a done deal on Ukraine policy is getting ahead of the facts.

Skepticism of open-ended Ukraine funding isn't fringe. Plenty of Americans, including many conservatives, have legitimate concerns about the cost and duration of U.S. involvement, and about whether Kyiv has been transparent with how aid dollars get used. That skepticism doesn't disappear just because Trump's personal opinion of Zelensky has warmed.

What's Actually New Here

Based on the Journal's reporting, Trump's private assessment of the war's trajectory and of Zelensky as a leader has shifted, not a formal U.S. policy announcement. No new aid package, sanctions move, or peace framework has been confirmed as part of this shift.

Tuesday's meeting is the next concrete data point. Whether Trump's admiration for Ukraine's drone program and battlefield performance turns into renewed military support, sustained diplomatic pressure on Russia, or just a friendlier photo-op remains an open question the meeting itself should start to answer.