President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have come away empty-handed from a White House meeting after US President Donald Trump indicated he was not ready to supply sought-after Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Zelensky said after the cordial bilateral talks that he and Trump had talked about long-range missiles, but decided not to make statements on the 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 came a day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and agreed to meet him in Hungary soon.
Zelensky believes using Tomahawks to strike at Russian oil and energy facilities would severely weaken Putin's war economy. While Trump did not rule it out, his tone at the White House on Friday was non-committal.
'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.'
Trump described the weapons as 'a big deal' and stated that the US needs them for its own defense. He also warned that supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine could lead to further escalation in the conflict but emphasized that discussions about sending them would continue.
After the meeting, Zelensky was asked if he thought Putin wanted a deal or was just buying time by planning a meeting with Trump in Budapest. Zelensky responded, 'I don't know,' but noted that the prospect of Ukraine having Tomahawks has made Russia 'afraid because it is a strong weapon.'
During the discussion, Zelensky proposed that Ukraine might offer drones in exchange for the Tomahawks, prompting smiles from Trump. The Ukrainian president also expressed hope that Trump could build upon his experience with peace deals in the Middle East to aid in negotiations for an end to the war in Ukraine.
Trump maintained a cautious stance regarding the possibility of further military support to Ukraine while suggesting that any potential discussions about peace would need to involve all parties. He highlighted that the relationship with Russia remains complex, and the discussions will likely continue in the coming weeks.
In summary, while the meeting did not yield the desired military support, both leaders agreed on the necessity of continuing dialogue to end the ongoing conflict.
