On July 28 at 2:00 PM Washington time, a farewell ceremony for Senator Lindsey Graham will be held at the National Cathedral in Washington. Volodymyr Zelensky is among the invited guests. According to Deutsche Welle correspondent Mykhailo Komadovskyi, citing two sources in the Trump administration, a bilateral meeting between the two presidents is being worked out in parallel, with the format still being negotiated.
A Mediator Who Is No Longer Here
Graham visited Ukraine ten times during the full-scale invasion. He last met with Zelensky a day before his death — on July 10 in Kyiv. According to American officials cited by PBS News, the senator was the main informal channel between Bankova and the White House during a period when Zelensky's relations with Trump remained tense following the February scandal in the Oval Office.
"For Ukraine, he was not just an ally, but a trusted mediator with Trump."
— PBS News, citing Ukrainian and American officials
Graham's death from aortic dissection deprived Kyiv of a convenient buffer. Now Zelensky will have to speak with Trump directly — without backup.
What Is at Stake at This Meeting
According to Suspilne, citing diplomatic sources, the meeting with Trump has been confirmed. Kyiv Post, which first reported on the possible visit, notes: just days ago, there was only talk of "considering options" — now plans have become specific.
- Peace process: negotiations in Istanbul have become a three-sided format with U.S. participation, but without public progress.
- Weapons: discussions on Patriot supplies and a joint drone agreement signal partial warming.
- Minerals: the critical resources agreement signed after the February conflict remains a framework — implementation mechanisms are still not finalized.
Why Now — And Who Benefits
Trump gets a Republican senator's funeral as a neutral pretext for a meeting that does not need to be presented as a concession to Ukraine. Zelensky gets direct access to the U.S. president without intermediaries — for the first time after months when Graham effectively performed this function. A diplomatic window opened through death, not through a breakthrough on the front or in negotiations.
Neither side has officially confirmed the meeting at the time of publication.
If Zelensky and Trump do meet on July 28 — it will be their first conversation after Trump's claim that the peace plan is "90 percent agreed." The question is whether this meeting will become the first real test of what is hidden in the remaining 10% — or whether it will remain another photo opportunity against a backdrop of flags.
