Trump tells Zelensky he’s reluctant to sell Ukraine Tomahawk missiles

Donald Trump has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he is leaning against selling long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, but offered optimism that the war is moving towards an end that would mitigate a need for the powerful weapon.

Zelensky at the start of the White House talks said he had a “proposition” in which Ukraine could provide the US with its advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv the long-range cruise missiles that Ukrainian officials say they need to motivate Russian President Vladmir Putin to get serious about peace talks.

But Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the US Tomahawk supply, a turnabout after days of suggesting he was seriously considering sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia’s invasion.

“I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace,” the US president said.

He added: “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over, to be honest.”

Zelensky and his senior aides met Trump and his team over lunch, a day after the US leader and Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict.

The Ukrainian president congratulated Trump over last week’s ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and said the US leader now has “momentum” to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“President Trump now has a big chance to finish this war,” Zelensky added.

Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Tomahawks is disappointing to the Ukrainians. In recent days, he had shown an openness to selling Ukraine the Tomahawks, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship.

But after Thursday’s call with Putin, Trump began downplaying the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about 995 miles.

Zelensky had been seeking the Tomahawks, which would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. He has argued that the potential for such strikes would help compel Putin to take Trump’s calls for direct negotiations to end the war more seriously.

The Russian leader warned Trump that supplying Kyiv with the Tomahawks “won’t change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries”, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said that talk of providing Tomahawks had already served a purpose by pushing Putin into talks. “The conclusion is that we need to continue with strong steps. Strength can truly create momentum for peace,” Sybiha said.

Zelensky also used Friday’s meeting to discuss the possibility of energy deals with the US.

He was expected to offer to store American liquefied natural gas in Ukraine’s gas storage facilities, which would allow for an American presence in the European energy market.

Zelensky previewed the strategy on Thursday in meetings with energy secretary Chris Wright and the heads of American energy companies, saying it is important to restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after Russian attacks and expand “the presence of American businesses in Ukraine”.

It is the fourth face-to-face meeting for Trump and Zelensky since the Republican returned to office in January, and their second in less than a month.

Trump announced on Thursday after his call with Putin that he would soon meet the Russian leader in Budapest to discuss ways to end the war.

The US president said on Friday that it was “to be determined” if Zelensky would be involved in the talks in Hungary, suggesting a “double meeting” with the warring countries’ leaders is the most workable option for productive negotiations.

“These two leaders do not like each other, and we want to make it comfortable for everybody,” Trump added.