Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House in hopes of receiving more weapons to continue the conflict with Russia on October 17, but US President Donald Trump expressed his focus on promoting a peace deal rather than upgrading Ukraine's arsenal.
While not ruling out the possibility of supplying Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles that Kiev wants, Trump was cautious, saying the US also needs to maintain its defense capabilities.
After more than two hours of talks, Trump called on Ukraine and Russia to immediately cease the war, even suggesting that Kiev could have to accept losing part of its territory in exchange for peace. He said both sides should stop at the front line, return to their families and stop the killing. This statement shows that Mr. Trump is positioning himself as a mediator between the two countries that have been in conflict since 2022.
Mr Zelensky admitted that finding a ceasefire was extremely difficult, asserting that "we want that, but Mr Putin does not". During the meeting, he said that Ukraine had thousands of drones ready for the attack campaign but lacked Tomahawk missiles. President Trump responded that we also need Tomahawk to protect our country.
After the meeting, Mr. Zelensky described the working session as efficient despite admitting that the possibility of receiving Tomahawk was very low. He said the US did not want to escalate the conflict and he was realistic with the current outlook. Ukrainian leaders expect Trump to use his influence to pressure Russia to end the war.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump is preparing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the next few weeks. The talks are scheduled to take place after the two leaders held a phone call, which, observers say, opened up new opportunities for dialogue. However, Mr Trump's soft voice towards Russia has many European allies worried about a deal that could favor Moscow.
A senior US official said the meeting was not as Zelensky expected and reflected the Trump administrations cautious stance in maintaining a balance between promoting peace and avoiding direct confrontation with Russia.
