The Washington Post drew attention to the conversation between Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr Zelensky, which took place on July 28 at the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. Due to the lack of sound, the content of the conversation remains unknown, but later reports emerged that the politicians discussed drones and modern military technologies.
July 31, 2026 the American newspaper The Washington Post reported on a brief conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which took place three days earlier — July 28, 2026 — before the funeral of American Senator Lindsey Graham in Washington.
The newspaper wrote that the politicians were seen having a conversation that “appeared to be a stern exchange”. In the original, The Washington Post used the cautious wording what appeared to be a stern exchange. At the same time, representatives of Israel and Ukraine refused to inform the publication about what exactly the leaders were talking about.
It is important to emphasize: The Washington Post’s publication does not contain a claim of a quarrel or diplomatic scandal. Journalists described the impression from a video recording in which Netanyahu and Zelensky are talking with serious faces and actively gesticulating. There is no sound on the recording, and no official transcript was published, so it is impossible to determine the exact content or tone of the remarks.
The conversation took place on July 28 at Lindsey Graham’s funeral
Netanyahu and Zelensky met at the Washington National Cathedral before the start of the farewell ceremony for Lindsey Graham. Both politicians held separate closed meetings with US President Donald Trump shortly before the funeral.
This was the first personal conversation between Netanyahu and Zelensky in almost three years. Before that, they met in September 2023, and their last known phone conversation took place in January 2025. The Times of Israel reported that the politicians tried to organize a full-fledged meeting in Washington, but it never took place.
As a result, a few minutes of communication before the funeral service became the only publicly recorded personal conversation between the leaders of Israel and Ukraine during their simultaneous stay in the US capital.
The video shows Netanyahu emotionally explaining something to Zelensky, accompanying his words with gestures. The President of Ukraine listens attentively and then responds. However, at the end of the conversation, both politicians smile and shake hands.
The Times of Israel described the conversation as quite serious but correct and friendly. This is another reason not to present the video recording as evidence of a conflict between the politicians.
What exactly The Washington Post wrote
The Washington Post article was published on July 31, 2026, at 07:00 Eastern Time. Its main topic was not the conversation between Netanyahu and Zelensky itself, but the discussion in Congress about expanding cooperation between the US and Israeli defense industries.
The episode at Graham’s funeral was cited as part of a broader context. The newspaper noted that Israel and Ukraine are simultaneously seeking military aid, air defense systems, interceptor missiles, and access to American defense technologies from Washington.
The Washington Post characterized the position of the two US allies as a kind of “zero-sum game”. The publication meant that limited American stocks of certain types of weapons have to be distributed between the war in Russia against Ukraine and the war involving the US and Israel against Iran.
During Zelensky’s meeting with Trump, the Ukrainian president raised the issue of obtaining 300 Patriot interceptors. According to The Washington Post, Trump explained that it would be difficult to satisfy this request because such missiles are being used on the Iranian front.
Against this backdrop, the serious conversation between Netanyahu and Zelensky could indeed have concerned issues directly affecting the ability of both countries to protect their cities from missiles and drones. However, the content of the conversation was not officially disclosed.
Was there a skirmish between the leaders
It is only reliably known that the conversation appeared serious. The assertion that Netanyahu and Zelensky exchanged sharp remarks remains an assumption.
| What is confirmed | What remains unknown |
|---|---|
| The conversation took place on July 28, 2026 | What exact words the politicians said |
| It took place before Lindsey Graham’s funeral | Whether there was a dispute between them |
| In the video, the politicians are serious and actively gesticulating | Whether Ukraine’s claims to Israel were discussed |
| The recording contains no sound | Whether the issue of air defense systems was raised |
| The parties did not disclose the content of the conversation | Whether any agreements were reached |
| In the end, the leaders smiled and shook hands | Whether the conversation will continue in an official format |
Therefore, the correct wording is as follows: Netanyahu and Zelensky had a serious conversation that might have appeared stern from the outside, but there is no evidence of a quarrel.
NANews — News of Israel notes that The Washington Post’s wording was cautious. The newspaper wrote not about a skirmish that took place, but about a conversation that appeared to be a stern exchange.
Later, a version about FPV drones appeared
After the video recording spread, the New York Post, citing an unnamed Israeli official, reported that Netanyahu and Zelensky discussed drones, including FPV drones.
According to the publication’s source, Israel and Ukraine faced a common problem — the rapid development of inexpensive strike devices capable of hitting military personnel, equipment, and infrastructure.
Special attention could have been paid to drones controlled via fiber optic cable. Such devices do not depend on the usual radio channel, so traditional electronic warfare means cannot always suppress the connection between the operator and the drone. The New York Post also reported that the conversation concerned the battlefield situation and the effectiveness of new military technologies.
Over the years of full-scale Russian aggression, Ukraine has accumulated extensive practical experience in using FPV drones and countering them. Israel also faces the development of unmanned systems in Iran and Tehran-supported armed groups.
This version explains why the politicians might have been talking emotionally and actively gesticulating. Discussing the threat of new drones does not necessarily imply a conflict between the interlocutors.
At the same time, the New York Post’s report cannot be considered an official transcript: it is based on information from sources, and the office of the Israeli Prime Minister and the office of the Ukrainian President did not publish the full content of the conversation.
Why a full-fledged meeting did not take place
Before the politicians arrived in Washington, the possibility of a separate meeting between Netanyahu and Zelensky was discussed. However, it was not possible to organize it.
The Times of Israel, citing a report from Haaretz, wrote that the office of the Israeli Prime Minister initially proposed holding a meeting, but after the Ukrainian side agreed, no final confirmation followed. At the same time, official representatives of the two countries did not publicly explain why the talks did not take place.
The refusal or inability to hold a full-fledged bilateral meeting became an additional backdrop for interpreting the video recording. The serious faces of the politicians began to be perceived as evidence of tension in relations between Kyiv and Jerusalem.
However, on the same day, a phone conversation took place between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha. Saar stated that the ministers discussed common challenges, including the threat from Iran, and invited Sybiha to visit Israel.
This indicates that the political dialogue between the countries continues despite disagreements over military aid to Ukraine.
The Iron Dome and Netanyahu’s decision
In The Washington Post’s publication, the leaders’ conversation was placed alongside the story of an attempt to transfer Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system batteries located in the US to Ukraine.
According to the newspaper, in 2023, Lindsey Graham supported the transfer of these systems to Ukraine to protect the civilian population from Russian attacks. However, Netanyahu used the terms of the US-Israeli joint production agreement and blocked the transfer. The batteries were paid for by the American government, but Israel retained the right to final approval of their use.
The Israeli embassy in Washington explained this decision by the concern that Iron Dome technologies could fall into Iran’s hands. At the same time, the diplomatic mission noted that Israel returned Patriot batteries to the US, after which Washington was able to send them to Ukraine.
This story remains one of the most painful issues in Israeli-Ukrainian relations. Since 2022, Kyiv has repeatedly requested air and missile defense systems necessary to protect cities from Russian missiles and Iranian drones.
The Israeli side has long explained its cautious position by its own security needs, the risk of technology leakage, and the need to maintain freedom of action in the region.
What resources Israel and Ukraine are fighting for
The parallel visits of Netanyahu and Zelensky to Washington showed how much both countries depend on the decisions of the White House and the capabilities of the American military-industrial complex.
Ukraine needs Patriot interceptors, radars, ballistic missile countermeasures, and ammunition production technologies. Israel needs American interceptors, aviation munitions, and support in confronting Iran.
The problem is that the production of complex missiles takes a long time, and existing stocks are not unlimited. As a result, Washington is forced to determine how much weaponry to leave for its own army and how much to send to allies.
This is what The Washington Post called a zero-sum competition: additional missiles for one front may mean a reduction in the available quantity for another.
At the same time, such rivalry does not exclude cooperation between Israel and Ukraine. Both countries are confronting military technologies related to Iran. Russia uses Iranian drones and Russian modifications of these devices against Ukrainian cities, while Israel directly faces Iran and its supported forces in the Middle East.
NANews — News of Israel believes that exchanging Ukrainian experience in combating FPV drones and Israeli developments in detecting and intercepting aerial targets could serve the interests of both countries.
Why Graham’s funeral became a diplomatic event
Lindsey Graham died on July 11, 2026 at the age of 71 due to heart disease. He was one of the most prominent supporters of an active US role in world politics and consistently supported Israel and Ukraine.
The day before his death, Graham was in Kyiv and met with Zelensky. It was his tenth visit to Ukraine since the start of full-scale Russian aggression in February 2022. In the last days of his life, the senator also promoted a new package of sanctions against Russia.
At the same time, Graham remained one of the most consistent supporters of Israel in Congress and advocated for a tough policy towards Iran.
Therefore, Trump, Netanyahu, Zelensky, representatives of the US administration, and American lawmakers were all present at his funeral. The mourning ceremony effectively turned into a platform for informal diplomacy.
What happened after the conversation
After the ceremony, neither Netanyahu nor Zelensky publicly disclosed the content of their conversation. No official announcements of any agreements reached followed either.
During his visit to Washington, Zelensky discussed with Trump the licensing of production of interceptors for Patriot and other forms of defense cooperation. He also met with representatives of Lockheed Martin and stated that Ukraine is ready to share experience and technologies with countries helping to protect human lives.
Netanyahu held a separate meeting with Trump, focusing on Iran and regional security. The White House described both meetings — with Netanyahu and Zelensky — as positive and productive.
Thus, the video recording of the conversation between the two leaders became just a small, albeit symbolically important, episode of a busy diplomatic day.
What can be stated for sure
The Washington Post reported on the episode on July 31, 2026, three days after Lindsey Graham’s funeral. The newspaper reported that the conversation between Netanyahu and Zelensky appeared to be a serious or stern exchange, but emphasized that both sides refused to comment on it.
The recording contains no sound, so it is not possible to speak of a confirmed quarrel. At the end of the conversation, the politicians smiled and shook hands, and Israeli media described the conversation as serious but correct.
The most likely topic, according to later reports, was FPV drones and modern military technologies. However, there is still no official transcript.
The story is important not because of the expressions of Netanyahu and Zelensky, but because of the deeper context: the complex Ukrainian-Israeli relations, the common threat from Russian-Iranian military cooperation, the struggle for American interceptors, and the need to seek new directions for interaction between Israel and Ukraine.
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