US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a press conference at the White House on Friday, where they discussed options for ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Donald Trump highlighted at the beginning of the meeting that Volodymyr Zelensky has"endured a lot" in the recent period and believes that they are making good progress towards peace. The US president reported that he had a two and a half hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, and they discussed many details.

"I love him too, he loves me too"

The American announced that he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, whom he called a “great leader.” The Hungarian capital was mentioned because Trump says Orbán is leading his country well and Hungary is a safe country.

Viktor Orbán is a leader we love. I love him, he loves him too

– Trump said, referring to Zelensky.

Regarding the format of the Budapest meeting, Trump said it would likely be bilateral, suggesting that he would meet separately with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in the first round, with the Russian president in the Hungarian capital.

These two leaders don't like each other, and we want to make things comfortable for everyone

– said Trump.

Tunnel between Alaska and Russia

When a reporter asked Trump what he thought about Putin's proposal to build a tunnel between Russia and Alaska, the US president revealed that the topic came up during a phone call on Thursday.

“I just heard about it. A tunnel from Russia to Alaska. Interesting idea, we’ll have to think about it,” Trump said, then asked Zelensky for his opinion. The Ukrainian president responded firmly:

– I'm not happy with the idea

– I don't think he liked it

– Trump remarked with a laugh, clearly indicating that the idea was not on the agenda of the negotiations.

Missiles for drones

One of the central topics of the press conference was the issue of the transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Zelensky emphasized that modern warfare requires not only missiles, but also drones, and that Ukraine has advanced drone production capabilities.

Trump acknowledged that the United States also needs these weapons, and that this is one of the reasons why they want to end the war quickly. The Ukrainian president proposed a barter deal: Ukrainian drones in exchange for American missiles. “We have a short proposal regarding our drones,” Zelensky said, which Trump received with interest, although he added that he would prefer to see these weapons not needed at all, because the war would end.

“He thinks about them constantly”

When a journalist asked Zelensky whether he appreciated Melania Trump's efforts to bring back Ukrainian children who had been taken to Russia, Trump was the first to respond.

He wanted to do it, and I think he did a very good job of bringing this issue to the forefront

– said the American president about his wife. Trump added that the exact numbers are uncertain:"Some say 20 thousand, some say 300 children. There's a big difference between the two, so nobody knows exactly. But he's very worried about the children, he thinks about them all the time."

This is not about the money.

The US president has repeatedly emphasized that thousands of people – mostly soldiers – are dying in the conflict every week, and this is the primary reason he wants to end the war.

It's not about the money. We're in this to save thousands of lives every week

– said the US president. Trump claimed that he had resolved eight wars in different parts of the world so far, and this would be the ninth. He mentioned the conflicts between India and Pakistan, Rwanda and Congo, and the war in the Middle East, which he said he had managed to resolve.

The Ukrainian president explained that the most important goal is to achieve a ceasefire, which is a difficult task even based on the example of the Middle East. He emphasized that Putin does not want a ceasefire, so pressure must be applied to him.

We are ready to negotiate in any format – bilateral, trilateral, it doesn't matter. Peace is what matters

– said Zelensky, adding that although NATO membership is important for Ukraine, the most important thing is the existence of real security guarantees.

The American president is not happy

Trump harshly criticized Spain at the press conference, which he said was not fulfilling its NATO obligations. While other countries have increased their defense spending from 2 percent to 5 percent, Spain has refused to do so. "Spain has not been loyal to NATO. I think they should be reprimanded for that," Trump said.

The US president has repeatedly expressed optimism about the chances of ending the war, emphasizing that both Putin and Zelensky want to end the conflict.

I think they are both doing a great job in that sense. We need to stop the hatred between them

– said Trump, adding that he believes they are close to an agreement. At the end of the press conference, Trump reiterated that his goal is to save lives, and although he has solved eight wars so far, he was told each time that if he solved one more, he would receive a Nobel Peace Prize – which he ultimately did not receive.

We followed the events minute by minute on the Index, which you can read back by clicking here.