President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have left a White House meeting empty-handed after US President Donald Trump suggested that he was not ready to equip Ukraine with sought-after Tomahawk cruise missiles.
After the friendly bilateral, Zelensky stated that he and Trump discussed long-range missiles but decided not to make any pronouncements on the subject “because the United States does not want an escalation.”
Following the summit, Trump resorted to social media to urge Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the conflict.
The Trump-Zelensky meeting came a day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and planned to meet him in Hungary soon.
Zelensky argues that utilizing Tomahawk missiles to hit Russian oil and energy facilities will significantly undermine Putin’s military economy.
Trump did not rule anything out, but his tone at the White House on Friday was noncommittal.
“Hopefully they won’t need it; hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks,” the US president said, adding, “I think we’re fairly close to that.”
He described the weapons as “a big deal” and stated that the United States required them for its own defense. He also stated that giving Tomahawks to Ukraine could result in a further escalation of the conflict, but that talks about deploying them would continue.
When asked by the BBC if the Tomahawk missiles spurred Putin to meet with Trump, the US president replied, “The threat of that [the missiles] is good, but the threat of that is always there.”
The Ukrainian leader suggested that his country may send drones in exchange for the Tomahawks, which elicited grins and nodding from Trump.
Zelensky also praised Trump for his involvement in securing the first phase of a Middle East peace accord, implying that the US president could build on that momentum to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
After the meeting, a reporter outside the White House asked Zelensky if he felt Putin wanted a settlement or if he was just buying time with the upcoming meeting with Trump in Budapest.
“I don’t know,” he said, adding that the prospect of Ukraine having Tomahawks had caused Russia to be “afraid because it is a strong weapon.”
When asked if he was leaving Washington more optimistic that Ukraine would receive the Tomahawks, he replied, “I am realistic.”
The Ukrainian leader also looked to be open to Trump’s notion of ending the war at the current front line.
“We have to stop where we are; he is right, the president is right,” Zelensky said. He added that the step after that would be “to speak.”
He subsequently tweeted on X that he had phoned European leaders to discuss the meeting with Trump, adding that the “main priority now is to protect as many lives as possible, guarantee security for Ukraine, and strengthen all of us in Europe.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the discussion with European leaders was “productive” and assured that “the UK will continue to send humanitarian aid and military support.”
While Trump had expressed an interest in selling the Tomahawks in recent days, Putin warned that such a move would further damage the US-Russia relationship.
On Thursday, Trump said “great progress” was made during a phone discussion with Putin, and the two agreed to meet in Hungary shortly, though no date has been established.
When asked by a reporter on Friday if he was concerned Putin was playing games by agreeing to a future summit, Trump responded, “I am.”
“But I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well. So, it’s possible; a little time, it’s alright. But I think that I’m pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal,” he said.
When another reporter inquired if Zelensky will be involved in the upcoming discussions in Budapest, Trump, who sat next to the Ukrainian president, stated there was “bad blood” between Putin and Zelensky.
“We want to make it comfortable for everybody,” Trump said. “We’ll be involved in threes, but it may be separated.” He added that the three leaders “have to get together.”
The US president stated that his call with Putin, the first since mid-August, was “very productive,” and that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.
Trump had anticipated that a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August would persuade Putin to engage in comprehensive peace talks to end the war, but the encounter failed to yield a major breakthrough.
They spoke again a few days later, when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
Back in Ukraine, the BBC spoke with a couple who were restoring a modest store in a Kyiv suburb that had been destroyed by Russian missiles a month earlier.
Volodymyr, the store owner, began to remark, “We appreciate all support,” when asked about Trump’s upcoming summit meeting with Putin.
He moved back as tears welled up in his eyes. After a long wait, he gathered himself and resumed.
“Truth and democracy will win, and all the terrorism and evil will disappear,” he said. “We just want to live; we don’t want to give up; we just want them to leave us alone.”
