President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have emerged empty-handed from a White House meeting after US President Donald Trump indicated he was not prepared to supply coveted Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Zelensky said after the friendly bilateral meeting that he spoke with Trump about long-range missiles, but decided not to make statements on this issue “because the United States does not want escalation.”
Following the meeting, Trump took to social media to call on Kiev and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war.
Trump and Zelensky’s meeting came a day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and they agreed to meet him in Hungary soon.
Zelensky believes that using Tomahawk missiles to strike Russian oil and energy facilities would severely weaken Putin’s war economy.
Although Trump did not rule this out, his tone at the White House on Friday was non-committal.
The US President said: “I hope they don’t need it, and I hope we can end the war without thinking about Tomahawk missiles,” adding: “I think we are fairly close to that.”
He called the weapons a “big deal” and said the United States needed them to defend itself. He also said that supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles could mean further escalation in the conflict, but that discussions about sending them would continue.
In response to a question from the BBC whether the Tomahawk missiles were what prompted Putin to meet with Trump, the US President said: “The threat of that [the missiles] “It’s a good thing, but the threat is always there.”
The Ukrainian leader suggested his country could offer drones in exchange for Tomahawks, prompting smiles and head shakes from Trump.
Zelensky also praised Trump for his role in securing the first phase of a Middle East peace deal, suggesting the US leader could build on that momentum to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
After the meeting, a reporter asked Zelensky outside the White House if he thought Putin wanted to reach an agreement or was just buying time with the planned meeting with Trump in Budapest.
“I don’t know,” he said, adding that the possibility of Ukraine possessing Tomahawk missiles made Russia “fearful because it is a powerful weapon.”
Asked whether he would leave Washington more optimistic about Ukraine obtaining Tomahawk missiles, he said: “I’m a realist.”
The Ukrainian leader also appeared to indicate that he would be OK with Trump’s proposal to stop the war along the current front line.
“We have to stop where we are,” Zelensky said. “He is right, and the president is right.” He added that the next step will be “talking.”
He later posted on X saying he had called European leaders to share details of the meeting with Trump, adding that “the main priority now is to protect as many lives as possible, ensure security for Ukraine, and strengthen all of us in Europe.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the call with European leaders was “productive” and promised that “the United Kingdom will continue to send humanitarian aid and military support.”
While Trump has shown openness to the idea of selling Tomahawk missiles in recent days, Putin warned that such a move would further strain US-Russian relations.
Trump said on Thursday that “significant progress” had been made during a phone call with Putin, in which they agreed to hold face-to-face talks soon in Hungary – although no date was set.
Asked by a reporter on Friday if he was concerned that Putin might bide his time by agreeing to a new summit, Trump said: “I am.”
He added: “But I’ve played all my life with the best of them, and I’ve come out really well. So, maybe, some time, it’s okay. But I think I’m very good at these things. I think he wants to make a deal.”
When another reporter asked him Regarding whether Zelensky would participate in the upcoming talks in Budapest, Trump – who was sitting next to the Ukrainian president – said that there was a “disagreement” between Putin and Zelensky.
“We want to make it comfortable for everyone,” Trump said. “We will participate in trilogies, but they may be separated.” He added that the three leaders “should meet.”
The US President said that his call, his first with Putin since mid-August, was “very productive,” adding that two teams from Washington and Moscow would meet next week.
Trump had hoped that a direct summit in Alaska in August would help convince Putin to enter into comprehensive peace talks to end the war, but this meeting failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough.
They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
Returning to Ukraine, the BBC spoke on Friday with a couple who were repairing a small shop they owned in a suburb of Kiev, after it was destroyed by Russian missiles last month.
When the store owner, Volodymyr, was asked about the upcoming summit meeting between Trump and Putin, he began to say: “We appreciate all the support.”
But he walked away with tears gathering in his eyes. After a long pause, he pulled himself together and started again.
He said: “Truth and democracy will triumph, and all 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.”