Trump hosts Zelenskyy at White House to discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict

Washington: US President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, signaling hesitancy to approve the sale of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, which Ukraine has said it urgently needs.

Zelenskyy arrives with proposal

Zelenskyy visited Washington with top aides to discuss developments over lunch, a day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a lengthy phone call about the war. At the start of the meeting, Zelenskyy congratulated Trump on last week’s Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, saying the US president now has “momentum” to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

He also presented a proposal suggesting Ukraine could provide advanced drones to the US, while the US would supply Kyiv with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Trump expresses caution on Tomahawks

Trump praised Ukraine’s drones but expressed reluctance about depleting US Tomahawk supplies. “I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace,” he said.

Although Trump had previously shown openness to the sale, his Thursday call with Putin appeared to temper expectations. “We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too. We have a lot of them, but we need them,” he said.

Ukraine’s strategic aims

The missiles would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory, targeting military sites, energy facilities, and critical infrastructure. Zelenskyy argues such capabilities would pressure Putin to take direct negotiations more seriously.

Putin warned Trump that supplying Tomahawks “won’t change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries,” according to Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the discussions already served a purpose by prompting Putin to engage. “Strength can truly create momentum for peace,” he wrote on X.

Economic and energy discussions

Zelenskyy also plans to appeal to US economic interests, exploring energy deals including storing American liquefied natural gas in Ukraine’s facilities to expand US presence in the European energy market.

Fourth face-to-face meeting

This was the fourth in-person meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy since January, and their second in less than a month. Trump also announced plans to meet Putin in Budapest to discuss ways to end the war, with senior aides scheduled to meet next week. It is “to be determined” if Zelenskyy will join those talks.

Trump’s evolving approach to Russia

Trump had previously expressed frustration with Putin. Last month, he indicated Ukraine could reclaim all territory lost to Russia, a shift from his earlier calls for Kyiv to make concessions. While he initially pursued direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin, Moscow has intensified attacks and shown little interest in meeting Zelenskyy.

Asked if he felt Putin might be stringing him along, Trump acknowledged the risk but expressed confidence in handling the Russian leader. “I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out pretty well. I think I’m pretty good at this stuff,” he said.