Trump meets with Netanyahu after Zelenskyy huddle at White House

[0:00] We begin with two wars and two leaders at the White House today. [0:03] President Trump is holding Oval Office meetings, as we said, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [0:08] and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [0:11] On the agenda, conflicts that so far have found no diplomatic solution. [0:16] It will be Netanyahu's first meeting with Trump since the war with Iran started. [0:20] For Zelensky, it is the second time he and Trump have met face-to-face this month. [0:25] Let's go to the White House. [0:26] And CBS News White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi. [0:29] Olivia, thank you for your time. [0:31] So let's talk about the meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. [0:34] What's at issue here as the war with Iran enters its sixth month? [0:42] Well, Mugo, it's good to be with you. [0:43] Netanyahu actually just arrived. [0:44] I don't know if you can hear the sirens behind me right now, [0:47] but he did just arrive here at the White House for his meeting with President Trump. [0:51] They are expected to talk certainly about the war in Iran, [0:54] which has been entering its sixth month now, really, for a war that the president said would last between four to six weeks. [1:02] And most recently, the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran really fell apart, [1:07] and the U.S. has begun to strike Iran again. [1:09] For 13 straight nights, the U.S. hit Iran. [1:12] But what we didn't see was Israel take part in those attacks. [1:16] Part of the reason why is because the president said that the U.S. could go at it alone, [1:21] that they didn't need these Israeli help in those strikes against Iran. [1:25] This also comes the ceasefire falling apart as President Trump and Netanyahu's relationship has become a bit frayed. [1:32] And part of the reason that has become frayed is because of southern Lebanon. [1:37] We know that Israel and their military have gone into southern Lebanon to fight Hezbollah, [1:43] and President Trump says that has continued to be a major sticking point [1:48] as they've been trying to get these ceasefire negotiations ongoing with Iran. [1:53] So a very delicate dance that they're going to have to do today, [1:55] certainly talking about those ceasefire negotiations. [1:58] There's also the issue of new Iranian sanctions that they are expected to talk about today, [2:03] ways that they can continue to squeeze the Iranian economy, [2:07] especially as this war is continuing to really be, you know, [2:13] elusive for the president to try to get an end to something that has completely frustrated him. [2:18] Yeah, as you said, way longer than he told the American people it was going to be. [2:21] Olivia, yesterday, President Trump said he and Netanyahu are close to being on the same page on the war with Iran. [2:27] So where do things differ between the two leaders? [2:32] Well, one major thing that they differ on, actually, [2:34] the president announced this morning, he did an interview with Fox News, [2:38] and they were discussing Pickaxe Mountain, [2:41] which is a major facility inside of Iran that has not been hit yet by U.S. artillery. [2:48] And Bibi Netanyahu had said in some capacity that there was activity going on at Pickaxe Mountain, [2:54] some concern that perhaps the Iranians have been moving [2:58] some key, you know, nuclear capacities, centrifuges, information, [3:05] maybe even nuclear material into Pickaxe Mountain. [3:09] So there was some concern about that. [3:12] President Trump responded to it today on Fox. [3:14] Take a listen to what he said. [3:15] Well, I don't need Bibi to tell me that. [3:19] Bibi's telling me that because he wants me to stay involved. [3:21] I mean, I don't necessarily... [3:23] We have finest because of Space Force. [3:26] We have the greatest cameras in the world focused on. [3:28] We know exactly what's going on. [3:30] I heard Bibi announce that. [3:33] Why didn't you just tell it to me? [3:34] Why do you have to announce it to the world? [3:36] I know exactly what's going on at Pickaxe. [3:38] It's not a big problem. [3:39] Took out their nuclear sites, [3:42] and we'll have to take out Pickaxe if we don't make a deal. [3:45] If we don't make a deal, we'll take it out very easily. [3:46] So you hear him there kind of airing that frustration out with Netanyahu. [3:52] Why does he have to talk to the world about Pickaxe Mountain [3:54] and potential activity around it, [3:57] knowing that that's certainly something that the press will then ask the president about, [4:01] potentially asking if that's a new target that they're going to make [4:03] of President Trump saying, [4:04] I wish you would just talk to me about it instead of announcing it to the world. [4:08] This continues to be a frustrating relationship between the two countries, [4:11] or between the U.S. and Israel, [4:14] especially as President Trump and Netanyahu have had their issues. [4:18] So we'll be watching today as this meeting is getting underway, [4:21] just exactly what they'll be talking about, [4:24] if there's any joint statement afterwards. [4:27] We know that Netanyahu will be heading to the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham [4:31] shortly after this, as will the president. [4:33] That will be happening at 2 o'clock. [4:34] So they will be seen together later today, [4:37] but we are waiting to see if perhaps we see the two of them here [4:41] at the White House in a short while. [4:43] Okay. [4:43] Olivia Rinaldi at the White House. [4:45] Thank you so much. [4:45] And now to the president's closed-door Oval Office meeting [4:50] with Ukraine's President Zelensky. [4:51] The two men are meeting for the second time in a month [4:54] as Ukraine's full-scale war with Russia is in its fourth year. [4:58] CBS News International reporter Aiden Stretch covers Ukraine for us, [5:02] and he joins us live right now from London. [5:04] Aiden, thank you for your time. [5:05] So ahead of the meeting today, [5:07] President Zelensky said on social media that his top priority [5:10] is getting more defense help from the United States. [5:13] But is he likely to get that? [5:18] Well, Mugo, that meeting just finished several minutes ago. [5:20] We know that President Zelensky left the White House this morning. [5:24] We haven't gotten a readout of the conversation itself, [5:27] but I can tell you what officials told me going into the meeting, [5:31] what Zelensky was going to ask for, [5:33] and the likelihood of what they were going to get from it. [5:35] At the top of that list is defenses against ballistic missiles, [5:40] against Russian ballistic missiles. [5:41] Ukraine has world-class drone interceptors [5:44] that have gotten defenses of Russian drones [5:47] up to 95 percent in terms of interception rates. [5:50] But what they haven't had often [5:52] is an effective defense against Russian ballistic missiles. [5:56] The premier system that defends against these missiles [5:58] is the American-made Patriot air defense system. [6:01] President Zelensky had previously gotten President Trump's support [6:05] for Ukraine to build some of the PAC-3 interceptors, [6:09] which are shot from these systems, [6:11] to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. [6:13] And what Ukrainian officials told me going into this meeting [6:16] is that he's expected to ask Trump to move things along [6:20] and also inform President Trump [6:21] that Ukraine is doing a lot on the ground [6:24] to develop their own interceptors for these systems, [6:27] as well as more drone interceptors, [6:29] which have already been sent to the United States. [6:31] So you're talking not only about what Ukraine [6:34] is going to receive from the United States, [6:36] but we're also expected to get updates [6:38] on how much defense help Ukraine [6:40] is going to be sending to the United States moving forward. [6:43] Okay, so Aiden, as you just explained for us there, [6:45] we know President Zelensky [6:47] is going to be asking for more military help, [6:50] but is that ultimately a sign [6:51] that we are now further away from seeing Ukraine and Russia [6:55] just basically come back to the negotiating table [6:57] to find a way to end this war diplomatically? [7:02] Well, I wouldn't necessarily read it that way. [7:04] I think there's sort of two theories here. [7:06] One is that if the United States [7:09] and other Western partners enable [7:10] some of Ukraine's recent progress [7:13] in striking deep inside Russia, [7:15] that could actually encourage Russia [7:17] to come to the negotiating table. [7:19] So as we're seeing authorities [7:21] in Russian-occupied Crimea [7:23] cut off gas sales to civilians, [7:25] as we're seeing refineries and supply warehouses [7:28] around Moscow in flames, [7:31] the idea there is that potentially [7:33] there's more distress and opposition [7:36] to this war in Russia, [7:37] which would force Putin to come to the negotiating table. [7:41] Of course, the other theory, as you point out, [7:43] is that this escalates a broader conflict. [7:45] So right now it's hard to say [7:48] which one of those will pan out, [7:50] but I wouldn't necessarily assume [7:51] that more weapons going to Ukraine, [7:53] more Ukrainian strikes [7:54] would necessarily mean an extension of the war. [7:58] Okay. Aiden Strach, [7:59] thank you so much for your insight today. [8:01] We appreciate it.