Key meeting: Trump hosts Zelensky after resuming talks with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on Friday aiming to convince President Donald Trump to supply Tomahawk long-range missiles, at a sensitive moment as the U.S. leader has resumed dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This is Zelensky’s third trip to the U.S. capital since Trump returned to the White House in January, following an initially tense meeting and a subsequent reconciliation in August. However, the Republican leader has yet to clarify his position on the war in Ukraine, which has continued for more than three years since Russia’s invasion.

Trump hopes the Russia–Ukraine war will end without the need for Tomahawk missiles

Trump suggested it would be premature to deliver Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, noting as he welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart that he hoped to secure peace with Russia first.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks. I think we're fairly close to that," the president told reporters while sitting across from Zelensky in the White House Cabinet Room.

Trump also admitted that Vladimir Putin might be buying time by agreeing to a new summit, but said he believed his Russian counterpart wanted a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

“Yes, I am,” the president said when asked by an AFP reporter if he was concerned that Putin was trying to gain more time.

A decisive trip for Kiev

The Ukrainian leader hoped his visit would put pressure on Moscow and strengthen U.S. military support, particularly through the acquisition of Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can strike targets inside Russia at ranges of up to 1000 miles. 

Prior to his meeting with Trump, Zelensky said he had met with manufacturers of Tomahawk missiles and Patriot defense systems. “We discussed possible avenues of cooperation to strengthen Ukraine’s air-defense and long-range capabilities,” he said.

Zelensky also said that the potential deployment of Tomahawk missiles had already made an impact on the Kremlin.

Trump bets on diplomacy with Putin

Despite Ukrainian efforts, Trump has reiterated his intention to pursue a diplomatic breakthrough with Russia, similar to the Gaza ceasefire agreement he negotiated last week. On Thursday, the U.S. president announced that he will meet with Putin in Budapest in two weeks, following what he called a “very productive conversation” with the Russian leader.

According to the Kremlin, both governments are already preparing for the summit, following what Moscow described as a “frank and trusting” call between Trump and Putin. Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Russian leader warned his U.S. counterpart that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine “would harm the prospects for a peaceful resolution” of the conflict.

Trump acknowledged that Putin “did not react well” when he raised that possibility during the call. He also warned that the United States “cannot deplete its stockpile” of Tomahawk missiles.

Russian advances and tensions on the front lines

Meanwhile, Russia claimed Friday that it had captured three villages in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions of eastern Ukraine, areas that Kiev had retaken in 2022 following a surprise counteroffensive.

Zelensky’s visit comes amid military setbacks and diplomatic uncertainty. The Ukrainian president expressed hope that Trump’s recent success in the Middle East could translate to the war in Eastern Europe.

"If he could stop the bombs in Gaza, maybe he can help stop them in Ukraine," he declared upon arriving in Washington.