Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left a meeting at the White House on Friday without what he hoped for: President Donald Trump’s blessing for U.S. long-range missiles for Ukraine.
“The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was very interesting, and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a deal,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the meeting’s conclusion. “They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide! No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent.”
In a press conference following the meeting, Zelenskyy offered little in the way of details. Asked if he was optimistic about getting Tomahawks, Zelenskyy said, “I am realistic.”
Trump has for months remained noncommittal on the issue of long-range missiles for Ukraine.
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This is the third time Zelenskyy has visited the White House this year as part of an effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelenskyy signaled beforehand that he would request access to long-range missiles, and Trump, who has grown impatient with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war drags on, had as recently as Tuesday suggested he might be willing to comply.
But on Thursday, before Zelenskyy was set to arrive at the White House, Putin called Trump, renewing lines of communication between the White House and counterparts in Russia. Trump pronounced the meeting “very productive” and said he and Putin would meet in Budapest.
The conversation between Putin and Trump injected a degree of uncertainty into the Zelenskyy meeting. That continued when Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials sat down with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Cabinet members and welcomed reporters into the room.
Zelenskyy told reporters he had a proposal for the White House in which long-range missiles would be exchanged for Ukrainian drones. Trump signaled openness to this, and Zelenskyy said in his press conference following the meeting that he thinks the U.S. will have some of Ukraine’s drones.
“We have a lot of drones right now, we build our own drones, but we also buy drones from others, and they make a very good drone,” Trump told reporters before the meeting. “Drone warfare has really come to the fore over the last couple of years because of this war. ”
Zelenskyy reiterated the need for security guarantees, which Trump has previously said he was willing to extend to Ukraine when the war comes to an end.
Trump reaffirmed his faith in Putin’s sincerity about wanting to bring the war to a close.
“You know, I’ve been played all my life by the best,” Trump said when asked if Putin was just trying to buy time. “I think that he wants to make a deal. I made eight of them. I think he wants to make a deal.”
This article has been updated with comments from after the meeting.
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