According to sources, the White House meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky did not go well for the Ukrainian leader. Trump rejected Zelensky’s request for Tomahawk missiles.
Sources speaking with Aixos described Friday’s meeting as “tough” and “bad.” “Trump gave several strong statements during the meeting, and at some points it got a bit emotional,” one official said. The meeting ended abruptly and early with Trump saying, “I think we’re done. Let’s see what happens next week.”
After the meeting, Trump said the meeting was “cordial.” “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!” the President wrote on Truth Social. “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”
Zelensky has long sought US Tomahawk missiles. However, he has so far been rejected by both the Joe Biden and the Trump administrations. In recent weeks, talks between Kiev and Washington about Tomahawk missiles raised concerns that Trump was preparing to allow European countries to buy the munitions for Ukraine.
On Sunday, Zelensky told NBC News’s Kristen Welker, “I knew about the Tomahawks, it’s very sensitive for Russians. They’re afraid that [the] United States can deliver Ukraine — I think that Putin [is] afraid that [the] United States will deliver us Tomahawks.”
Russia has warned that Ukraine obtaining Tomahawks would be a significant escalation. Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
Trump said his decision not to provide Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine is also because of a supply issue. “That’s a problem. We need Tomahawks, and we need a lot of other things that we’ve been sending over the last four years to Ukraine. We gave them a lot,” he said.
