Momentum shifts for Zelenskyy in Washington
Senators who attended a closed-door meeting with the Ukrainian leader said his pitch is starting to have an impact.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and James Risch (R-Idaho) as he arrives for a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on July 28, 2026. | Francis Chung/POLITICO
By
Mark Satter,
Connor O'Brien and
Jerry Wu
07/28/2026 09:49 PM EDT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pulled off a feat Tuesday that seemed impossible a year ago: convincing Washington that Kyiv can win the war.
Unlike Zelenskyy’s tortured Oval Office visit in February 2025, he
left a meeting with President Donald Trump in high spirits. And he capped off the trip with another victory, watching the Senate
overwhelmingly vote to advance new sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil.
It was a high note in a day that proved a remarkable turnabout from Zelenskyy’s previous disastrous visit. The vote — which the Ukrainian leader witnessed from the gallery inside the Senate chamber — puts Congress one step closer to achieving a top priority for Zelenskyy and is the latest signal that Kyiv’s fortunes aren’t just improving on the battlefield.
“The whole program here is to bring Putin to the negotiating table,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said following a meeting with the Ukrainian president, senators and some House lawmakers. “Zelenskyy believed that Putin would think a little bit more about trying to negotiate a settlement if the sanctions were in place and actually creating more irritation and, as he put it, I believe, ‘anger’ with the war with the Russian people.”
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that the sanctions could help solidify the gains Ukraine has made in combat and force Putin into peace talks, even as he renewed his request for expanded access to key weapons systems.
It’s clear that Zelenskyy’s pitch is making an impact, and lawmakers from across the ideological spectrum seemed to endorse his strategy. And it probably doesn’t hurt that there is an emerging consensus that Ukraine might be able to defeat Russia.
“What’s marked the momentum shift is the success that they’re having on the battlefield,” said Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.).