Today, July 28, 2026, is shaping up to be one of the most tense and fateful days for American diplomacy this year. US President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in turn at the White House. The visit of the two world leaders is tied to a mourning event - the funeral of influential US Senator Lindsey Graham, whose sudden death earlier this month shook the political elite in Washington. Meanwhile, an unprecedented move is being prepared in the Capitol: all 100 US senators have been invited to an emergency meeting with Zelensky, while the Pentagon officially admitted that the US military industry is years behind the pace of drone production in Ukraine.
Historic meeting in Capitol: 100 senators at the table with Zelensky
All 100 members of the US Senate received an official invitation for a joint meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday evening. The information was confirmed by congressional aides to the news agency Reuters (source: reuters.com/world/us/zelenskiy-meet-us-senators-russia-sanctions-vote-expected-2026-07-27/).
The main purpose of the extraordinary forum is to discuss and vote on a key bill to impose large-scale energy sanctions against Russia - a cause that the late Senator Lindsey Graham defended until his last breath. According to the American publication The Hill, the Senate plans to begin the voting procedure during the visit of the Ukrainian head of state (source: thehill.com/homenews/senate/5992588-all-senators-to-meet-with-zelensky-as-congress-weighs-russia-sanctions-bill/). To secure bipartisan support, lawmakers reduced planned tariffs on Russian energy exports to 100% (down from an initial proposed 500%), although concerns remain in the backrooms of Congress about the additional powers the law could give the Trump administration.
Trump balances between two wars in the White House
President Donald Trump's schedule for Tuesday includes separate meetings in the Oval Office with Netanyahu and Zelensky, the TV station reported BBC in its morning report (source: bbc.com/news/videos/cd0xlnz2yk1o). The talks will take place at a critical moment as Washington navigates its positions on the war in Eastern Europe and the five-month conflict in the Middle East.
Negotiations with Netanyahu: Will focus on Israel's security, ongoing operations and deterring Iran, with the White House expecting progress on the Lebanon agreements. The Israeli prime minister landed in Washington in complete secrecy on a flight from the Nevatim air base, notes the Haaretz publication (source: haaretz.com). Negotiations with Zelensky: Donald Trump, who has recently softened his tone towards Kiev, will discuss with Zelensky the parameters of a future peace process between Russia and Ukraine. According to sources of The Wall Street Journal, Trump has been deeply impressed by Ukraine's resilience and innovation on the battlefield, especially after successful long-range drone strikes in the Caspian Sea that disrupted Russian-Iranian arms supply lines (source: wsj.com/world/impressed-by-ukraines-battlefield-gains-trump-warms-to-zelensky-bc138190).
The Defense Paradox: The US Is Falling Behind Ukraine in Drones
Amid the diplomatic offensive, the US Department of Defense has made a startling admission. The Pentagon has officially announced that the American military industry is "years away" from reaching the military drone production volumes that Ukraine currently maintains.
According to data published by the news conglomerate Yahoo News, while the Pentagon's massive $1.1 billion program will manage to secure just under 200,000 drones by early next year, Ukraine plans to produce between 6 and 7 million small FPV (first-person view) attack drones this year alone (source: yahoo.com/news/us/articles/pentagon-says-us-industry-still-190140080.html).
To compensate for this technological and quantitative lag, Washington is launching a strategy of "reversing traditional military aid". The US military is requiring Ukrainian manufacturers to locate factories on US territory. As part of the initiative Gauntlet II in Colorado, six leading Ukrainian drone companies are already signing joint venture agreements with American partners, reports RBC Ukraine (source: newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/us-admits-ukraine-leads-in-drones-as-pentagon-1785186740.html). Examples of this are the partnerships of the Ukrainian F-Drones in Ohio and on General Cherry with New Hampshire-based Wilcox Industries.
The Pentagon's goal is clear: to implement real combat experience and cheap but highly effective Ukrainian technologies directly into the American production base, ending dependence on Chinese components and expensive weapons systems.