Zelensky fails to secure Tomahawk missiles at talks with Trump
President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have walked out of a White House meeting empty-handed after US President Donald Trump said he was not ready to supply Ukraine with sought-after Tomahawk cruise missiles.
After the cordial bilateral meeting, Zelensky said that he and Trump talked about the issue of long-range missiles, but decided not to make a statement on the issue “because the United States does not want to escalate tensions.”
After the meeting, Trump took to social media to call on Kiev and Moscow to “stand where they are” and end the war.
The Trump-Zelensky call came a day after Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to meet in Hungary soon.
Zelensky believes that using Tomahawks to attack Russian oil and energy facilities would seriously weaken Putin’s war economy.
While Trump did not rule it out, his tone at the White House on Friday was noncommittal.
“I hope they don’t need it, I hope we can end the war without thinking about Tomahawks,” the US president said, adding: “I think we’re pretty close to that.”
He called the weapons a “major event” and said the United States needed them for its own defense. He also said that supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine could mean a further escalation of the conflict, but that discussions about sending them would continue.
Asked by the BBC whether the Tomahawks had encouraged Putin to meet Trump, the US president said: “This threat [the missiles] “It’s a good thing, but there’s always danger in that.”
The Ukrainian leader said his country might offer drones in exchange for Tomahawks, causing Trump to smile and nod.
Zelensky also praised Trump for his role in securing the first phase of a peace deal in the Middle East and suggested the US leader could build on that momentum to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
After the meeting, a reporter outside the White House asked Zelensky whether he thought Putin wanted a deal or was just buying time with a meeting with Trump scheduled for 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”.
“I’m a realist,” he said when asked if he left Washington more optimistic that Ukraine would get the Tomahawks.
The Ukrainian leader also appeared to suggest that he would comply with Trump’s proposal to stop the war on the current front line.
“We must stand where we are, he is right, the president is right,” Zelensky said. The next step, he added, would be “to talk.”
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the meeting with European leaders was “productive” and promised that “the UK will continue to send humanitarian aid and military support”.
While Trump has shown in recent days that he is open to the idea of selling the Tomahawks, Putin has warned that such a move would further strain US-Russia relations.
On Thursday, Trump said in a phone call with Putin that “great progress” had been made and that the two agreed to meet face to face in Hungary soon, but no date had yet been set.
Asked by a reporter Friday if he was concerned that Putin was trying to buy time by agreeing to a new summit, Trump said, “I am.”
“But all my life the best guys have put me on and I’ve had a really good result. So it’s possible, a little time, no problem. But I think I’m pretty good at it. I think he wants to make a deal,” he said.
On another reporter’s question When asked whether Zelensky would attend possible talks in Budapest, Trump, sitting next to the Ukrainian president, said there was “bad blood” between Putin and Zelensky.
“We want to provide a comfortable environment for everyone,” Trump said. “We will attend as a trio, but it may be separated.” He added that the three leaders “need to come together.”
The US president said his first meeting with Putin since mid-August was “very productive”, adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.
Trump had hoped that a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August would help persuade Putin to enter into comprehensive peace talks to end the war, but that meeting failed to produce a decisive breakthrough.
They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
The BBC spoke to a couple in Ukraine on Friday who were repairing their small shop in a suburb of Kiev after it was destroyed by Russian missiles last month.
“We appreciate all the support,” store owner Volodymyr said when asked about Trump’s upcoming summit meeting with Putin.
But he walked away with tears streaming down his face. After a long break, he recovered himself and started again.
“Truth and democracy will win, all 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.”
