- Zelenskiy’s visit was aimed at obtaining weapons to sustain war with Russia.
- Trump appears to be more intent on brokering a peace deal between the two sides.
- US and Ukraine presidents discuss calls between Russia’s Putin and Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy came to the White House on Friday looking for weapons to continue fighting his country’s war with Russia, but met a US president who appears more interested in brokering a peace deal than upgrading Ukraine’s arsenal.
While US President Donald Trump did not rule out delivering the long-range Tomahawk missiles Zelenskiy is seeking, Trump appeared cool on the prospect as he looked forward to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the coming weeks.
The two leaders then went behind closed doors, where they also discussed a call the day before between the Russian president and Trump, who has portrayed himself as a mediator between the warring forces despite Russia invading Ukraine in 2022.
‘Get your act together’
“I think President Zelenskiy wants it done, and I think President Putin wants it done. Now they just need to get their act together a little bit,” Trump told reporters.
However, Zelenskiy noted how difficult it has been to try to secure a ceasefire. “We want this. Putin doesn’t want (it),” he said.
The Ukrainian leader was candid, telling Trump that Ukraine has thousands of drones ready for an offensive against Russian targets, but needs American missiles.
“We don’t have Tomahawks, that’s why we need Tomahawks,” he said.
Trump responded: “We’d much rather they didn’t need the Tomahawks.”
Later, Trump reiterated that he wants the United States to hold on to its guns. “We also want Tomahawks. We don’t want to give away things that we need to protect our country,” he said.
After the meeting, which Zelenskiy described as productive, he told reporters he did not want to talk about long-range missiles, saying the United States did not want escalation and that he was “realistic” about his chance of getting them.
The Ukrainian president, who spoke by phone with European leaders after the meeting, said he expected Trump to pressure Putin “to stop this war.”
Asked about Trump’s comments, Zelenskiy said: “President (Trump) is right and we have to stop where we are. It’s important to stop where we are and then talk.”
Back to the table
It was unclear what Putin had told Trump that prompted him to agree to the upcoming meeting. Their August summit in Alaska ended early without any major breakthrough.
The Kremlin said a decision needed to be made and that the summit could take place “a little later” than within the two-week period Trump mentioned.
Trump’s conciliatory tone after the call with Putin raised questions about the likelihood of aid to Ukraine in the short term and revived European fears of a deal to suit Russia. An EU spokesman said it welcomed the talks if they could help bring peace to Ukraine.
Trump was asked Friday if he was concerned that Putin might be “playing” him for time by agreeing to negotiations.
“You know, I’ve been played my whole life by the best of them, and I came out really well, so that’s possible,” Trump replied.
Michael Carpenter, a former US official who is now a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the meeting with Trump was not what Zelenskiy had hoped for but was consistent with the administration’s approach to the war.
“The underlying reality is that there is no inclination to impose costs on Russia,” he said.
The president expressed affection for Zelenskiy, at one point praising him for wearing what Trump called a “very stylish” dark suit after he was beaten earlier this year for visiting the White House without one.
“He looks handsome in his jacket,” Trump said. “I hope people take notice.”
War has intensified
Trump, who has campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize, is eager to add to the list of conflicts he says he has been instrumental in ending.
More than 3-1/2 years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has made some territorial gains this year, but Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said Thursday that the Russian offensive had failed.
Putin said this month that his forces had taken nearly 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) of land in Ukraine by 2025, the equivalent of adding 1% of Ukraine’s territory to the nearly 20% it already held.
Both sides have also escalated attacks on each other’s energy systems, and Russian drones and jets have strayed into Nato countries.
Analysts see talks as a delaying tactic
The White House has appeared increasingly frustrated with Putin in recent days and is leaning toward giving Zelenskiy new support, including the Tomahawk missiles that the Ukrainians say would help them inflict more damage on Russia’s war machine.
After Friday’s talks, Zelenskiy said Russia was “scared” of the Tomahawks. Moscow has warned that the delivery of such missiles would mark a serious escalation.
Putin’s move appeared to be aimed at making the U.S. transfer of such weapons less likely, said Max Bergmann, a Russia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Mykola Bielieskov, a senior analyst at Come Back Alive, a Ukrainian non-governmental organization that is a major purchaser of military equipment for the Ukrainian armed forces, said Tomahawk missiles would level a playing field tilted against Russia.
“We don’t expect Russia to crumble after one, two or three successful attacks,” Bielieskov said. “But it’s about pressure, constant pressure. It’s about disrupting the military-industrial complex.”
