A new chapter in an effort to end the war in Ukraine appeared to open on Friday, when US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, a day after a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Although Trump did not rule out providing the long-range Tomahawk missiles requested by Zelensky, he struck a cautious tone, saying he wanted to avoid further escalation ahead of a planned meeting with Putin in Hungary in the coming weeks.
“Stop at the front line, go home to your families. Stop the killing,” Trump told reporters as he departed for his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. “That’s it. Stop now at the front line. I told that to President Zelensky. I told it to President Putin.”
Trump: “They need to work things out”
The meeting, held behind closed doors, included discussions on Trump’s earlier phone call with Putin. “I believe President Zelensky wants to end the war, and I believe President Putin wants to end it too. Now they just need to work things out a bit,” he said.
Zelensky, however, pushed back, saying, “We want that. Putin doesn’t.”
The Ukrainian leader told Trump that Kyiv has “thousands of drones ready” to strike Russian positions but needs US missiles. “We don’t have Tomahawks, that’s why we need Tomahawks,” Zelensky said.
“We’d prefer you didn’t need Tomahawks,” Trump replied.
Later, Trump emphasized the need to maintain the US arsenal. “We want our own Tomahawks. We don’t want to give away what we need for our protection,” he said.
Zelensky: “We must stop where we are and then talk”
Following what he described as a productive discussion, Zelensky said he would no longer dwell on the long-range missile issue, acknowledging Washington’s reluctance to escalate. “The President is right, and we must stop where we are,” Zelensky said. “It’s important to stop where we are and then talk.”
The Ukrainian leader later briefed several European heads of state, saying he was counting on Trump to pressure Putin into halting the war.
It remains unclear what Putin told Trump, but it prompted a follow-up meeting expected within weeks. Their last summit, in Alaska in August, ended without progress. The Kremlin said “many issues remain to be decided” and suggested the meeting might take place “slightly later” than the two-week window mentioned by Trump.
Trump’s conciliatory tone raises concerns
Trump’s conciliatory tone following his call with Putin has raised questions about future US military support for Ukraine and renewed European concerns about a potential Russia-leaning settlement.
An EU spokesperson said Brussels “welcomes any talks that can contribute to peace in Ukraine.” When asked whether he feared Putin might be stalling, Trump quipped: “I’ve been played by the best in my life, and I’ve done just fine, so it’s possible.”
Michael Carpenter, a former US official now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the meeting “was not what Zelensky hoped for” but aligned with Trump’s broader approach to the conflict. Trump also praised Zelensky’s dark tailored jacket—a nod to their first White House meeting in February— saying, “He looks handsome in his jacket. I hope people notice.”
Fighting intensifies as Russia gains ground
More than three and a half years after Russia’s invasion, Moscow has made modest territorial gains this year. However, Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said Thursday that Russia’s latest offensive had “failed.”
Putin claimed earlier this month that Russian forces had seized nearly 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 sq mi) of Ukrainian territory in 2025—around 1 percent of the country—adding to the roughly 20 percent occupied since 2022.
Both sides have intensified attacks on energy infrastructure, while Russian drones and aircraft have breached NATO airspace, heightening regional tensions.
Analysts: “Moscow fears the Tomahawks”
According to multiple reports, the White House has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin’s stance and is seriously considering supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Following Friday’s talks, Zelensky said Russia “fears the Tomahawks.” Moscow has warned that providing such weapons would amount to a major escalation.
Putin appears to be stalling US weapons deliveries by feigning interest in negotiations, argued Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mykola Bielieskov, a senior analyst at the Ukrainian foundation Come Back Alive, which supports the military, added: “We don’t expect Russia to collapse after one or two successful strikes. It’s about sustained pressure—creating fractures in Russia’s military-industrial complex.”
