LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Services for the late Senator Lindsey Graham begin here in Washington today. In attendance will be three world leaders - President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Their presence reflects not only the respect for Graham, but also the loss of a key ally who helped shape their relationships with Trump and the rest of Washington. Coming up, we'll ask a former senior Pentagon official what President Trump should prioritize as he meets with each of them separately before the funeral.
FADEL: We begin with the latest information from NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Good morning.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So walk us through why two world leaders - Netanyahu and Zelenskyy, involved in two different wars - made sure to come to Washington for Graham's funeral.
ORDOÑEZ: Well, as you noted, it's about respect. But also, Graham really was one of the most tenacious supporters of those two countries. And he's really leaving behind a void because I'm not sure there's another political leader who can step in to advocate like he did for both Israel and Ukraine, and certainly not someone who had the president's ear as Graham did. So the fact that the leaders are going to be meeting with Trump - there's kind of a certain symmetry that they're having to make the case themselves that Graham used to do on their behalf.
FADEL: Zelenskyy said he's bringing intelligence of Russia cooperating with Iran. What can you tell us?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. Zelenskyy is really trying to build support for Ukraine's cause against Russia and saying Russia is providing satellite imagery of U.S. military facilities in the Gulf. I was talking with Richard Fontaine, who served in the George W. Bush White House and now leads the Center for a New American Security. He says this is one of those scenarios where the enemy of your enemy is your friend.
RICHARD FONTAINE: Well, certainly, if you're about to come to the United States and you're trying to make the case for U.S. support for your country and opposition to Russia, then it helps if you've got any information about Russia helping the enemy the United States is fighting right now in Iran.
FADEL: Now, Trump has gone back and forth over how much he seems to be siding with Russia or Ukraine publicly. He seems to be talking more positively about Ukraine at the moment. Is Zelenskyy trying to build on that?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, I'd say for sure. I mean, that turn in the relationship has been very much on display. Even just a few weeks ago in Turkey, when Trump and Zelenskyy met on the sidelines of the NATO summit, you know, Trump announced that the U.S. would be granting Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems. That's something that Kyiv has been wanting for years. I will, though, say, Leila, that when Trump was asked directly yesterday about Russia possibly giving Iran intelligence on U.S. bases, Trump really seemed to dismiss that. He said he'd ask Putin about it, but doubted it was true.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don't think they've been doing it - certainly not at a high level. And if they have, it has been very unimpactful.
ORDOÑEZ: So that might be a challenge for Zelenskyy.
FADEL: Now, Netanyahu is coming at a time that President Trump is trying to get out of the war it started with Israel in Iran. That's not the same goal as Israel. What do you expect from this meeting?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. The White House says the two will discuss the conflict in Iran and a U.S.-brokered plan for Israeli forces to pull out of southern Lebanon. On the one hand, Netanyahu wants to smooth over what's really been a rocky relationship with Trump over the last few months. It was really only a few weeks ago that Trump was calling Netanyahu crazy. Netanyahu, though, has to strike a delicate balance - you know, making nice with the president but also playing some defense.
When it comes to the conflicts in Iran and Lebanon, the two countries really just have different goals. Israel wants to keep fighting and protecting its borders as it sees fit. Trump's focused on getting the Strait of Hormuz open, then wants to stop fighting and just get out as soon as possible.
FADEL: That's White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thank you, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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