Written by Lisa Murimi
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to leave the White House empty-handed on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump stopped short of approving Kyiv’s request for Tomahawk cruise missiles, saying Washington was not ready to risk escalation with Moscow.
The two leaders met in what was described as a cordial but cautious bilateral discussion focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Speaking after the meeting, Zelensky said they had discussed long-range missile systems but agreed not to make announcements “because the United States does not want an escalation.”
Trump later took to social media urging both Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and move toward ending the war — a message he said he had also relayed to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call earlier this week. The U.S. president confirmed he would soon meet Putin in Hungary, describing their talks as “very productive.”
“Hopefully they won’t need [Tomahawks],” Trump told reporters. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks. I think we’re fairly close to that.”
He added that while the missile system was “a big deal,” the U.S. needed it for its own defence, and supplying it could heighten tensions with Russia.
Zelensky, who has argued that Tomahawk strikes on Russian oil and energy facilities could cripple Moscow’s war economy, admitted he was “realistic” about Washington’s hesitation.
“The prospect of Ukraine having Tomahawks has made Russia afraid because it is a strong weapon,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader also hinted at openness to Trump’s proposed ceasefire along the current front line, saying, “We have to stop where we are — he is right. The step after that would be to speak.”
Trump suggested that Ukraine could be part of upcoming peace talks with Putin but acknowledged “bad blood” between the two leaders. “We want to make it comfortable for everybody,” he said. “We’ll be involved in threes, but it may be separated.”
Following the meeting, Zelensky called European leaders to brief them on the talks, emphasizing that the priority now was “to protect as many lives as possible and strengthen all of us in Europe.” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer later described the call as “productive,” pledging continued humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.
