President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have come away empty-handed from a White House meeting after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he was not ready to supply sought-after Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Zelensky said after the cordial bilateral meeting that he and Trump had talked about long-range missiles, but decided not to make statements on that issue because the United States does not want an escalation.
Following the meeting, Trump took to social media to call for Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are and end the war.
The Trump-Zelensky meeting occurred a day after Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to meet him in Hungary soon.
While Trump did not rule out supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine, his tone at the White House was non-committal. Hopefully they won't need it, hopefully we'll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks, the U.S. president said, adding that America needed the weapons.
Trump expressed that sending the missiles would be an escalation, but we'll be talking about it.
When asked by the BBC whether the Tomahawks prompted Putin to meet Trump, the U.S. president responded, The threat of that [the missiles] is good, but the threat of that is always there.
The Ukrainian leader suggested that Ukraine could offer drones in exchange for the Tomahawks, leading to smiles and nodding from Trump. Zelensky also complimented Trump on his role in securing a peace deal in the Middle East, suggesting the U.S. leader could capitalize on that momentum to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Afterwards, Zelensky was asked if he thought Putin wanted a deal or was merely buying time with the planned meeting with Trump in Budapest. I don’t know, he replied, citing the fear such missiles could provoke in Russia, as they would be a strong weapon.
When asked if he left Washington more optimistic about receiving Tomahawks, he said, I am realistic. Zelensky believes that using the missiles to strike Russian oil and energy facilities would significantly weaken Putin's war economy.
Recent statements from Trump indicated a growing openness to the idea of selling Tomahawks, although Putin cautioned that such a move would further strain U.S.-Russia relations. Following a productive phone call with Putin, Trump planned to convene teams from Washington and Moscow to discuss peace negotiations.
Back in Ukraine, the impact of ongoing conflict remains palpable, with citizens expressing their hopes for an end to violence. One store owner in Kyiv, whose business was damaged by Russian missiles, conveyed a deep desire for peace: Truth and democracy will win, and all the terrorism and evil will disappear. We just want to live, we don't want to give up, we just want them to leave us alone.
