The meetings will showcase Washington's foreign policy balancing act as it tries to broker peace in Ukraine, despite being the instigator of military action in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump is set to host the leaders of Ukraine and Israel at the White House on Tuesday in back-to-back meetings that will test his administration's efforts to shape conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Trump first, seeking to secure continued US backing for Kyiv more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion. Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold his first face-to-face talks with the US president since the outbreak of the Iran war, with Tehran expected to dominate discussions.
The meetings come at a pivotal moment for Trump's foreign policy, as Washington tries to revive diplomatic initiatives while at times escalating military action.
Ahead of Zelenskyy's visit, Russia and Ukraine intensified their long-range attacks. More than 390 Ukrainian drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, according to Russian officials, who reported damage to residential buildings.
"We are preparing for a meeting with the president of the United States and his team," Zelenskyy said. He added that he hoped Washington "will continue to support Ukraine and that we can end this war with a dignified peace."
Relations between Trump and Zelenskyy have often been strained, but the US president has adopted a more conciliatory tone towards his Ukrainian counterpart in recent weeks.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has largely halted direct US arms deliveries to Kyiv in favour of the PURL programme, under which European countries purchase US-made weapons before transferring them to Ukraine.
Washington has, however, continued to provide intelligence support and access to the Starlink satellite communications network used by Ukrainian forces.
Trump will then welcome Netanyahu as the two leaders seek to overcome recent public disagreements over the Iran war. Their relationship came under strain during ceasefire negotiations earlier this year, when Trump publicly criticised the Israeli leader, although both have since sought to play down their differences.
"This is a great responsibility," Netanyahu said before departing Israel. "We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran. Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us."
The two leaders are expected to focus on the war with Iran as Washington presses for negotiations to resume, while also discussing implementation of a US-backed agreement between Israel and Lebanon and efforts to revive Gaza's reconstruction, which have stalled nearly three years after the 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel by Hamas and the resulting years-long war between Israel and Hamas in the Strip.