At his meeting with Zelensky, Trump expressed hope that Ukraine would not need Tomahawks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump on October 17. Before their closed-door meeting, the two leaders held a joint press conference.

Zelensky arrived at the White House half an hour later than scheduled. Trump greeted him at the entrance and shook his hand. The Ukrainian president wore a black business suit and a black shirt without a tie, and Trump complimented his look. The U.S. president briefly told reporters he was confident he could bring an end to the fighting in Ukraine.

“Today we will talk about my conversation yesterday with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, during which certain principles were outlined, and we’ll see if we can resolve this,” Trump said at the start of the press conference.

Before the talks, media outlets reported that Zelensky’s main goal in visiting the United States was to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles and permission to use them for strikes deep inside Russia. Trump made his position clear: the transfer of such weapons would mean an escalation of the conflict. However, the topic remains under discussion.

Recently, Trump had hinted that the United States might supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles and allow their use against military targets on Russian territory. Moscow made it clear that such a move would escalate the conflict and would not change the situation on the battlefield. After his conversation with Putin, Trump abruptly stated that the U.S. itself needs the Tomahawks and will not transfer them to Ukraine.

“It’s better to end this war without Tomahawks. And I think we’re close to that,” Trump said during the press conference.

Zelensky, in turn, proposed supplying the U.S. with thousands of drones. According to him, Americans produce large quantities of missiles but “forget about drones,” and Ukraine has a serious proposal in this area. In exchange, he wants Tomahawks.

“We’re not losing people, we’re not spending money — we’re being paid for ammunition and missiles… We’ve made a very good deal with NATO… We’re not here for that. We’re here to save thousands of lives,” read a post on the White House’s social media account after the meeting.

Trump once again confirmed that his agreement with Putin during their phone conversation for an in-person meeting remains in force. He emphasized that the Budapest talks will take place without Zelensky, but he would convey the substance of the discussion to the Ukrainian leader afterward.

“We like [Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán. Putin likes him, I like him. It’s a safe country. (…) He (Orbán) doesn’t have many of the problems that exist elsewhere. So we decided we’d meet with Viktor Orbán, and I think he’ll be a very good host,” Trump explained when asked why Budapest was chosen as the venue for the meeting with Putin.

Trump noted that, in his opinion, both Putin and Zelensky want to end the war. Zelensky responded:

“We want peace; Putin doesn’t. We need to put pressure on him.”

Trump was also asked whether Ukraine could return to its 1991 borders. He did not give a direct answer, saying evasively that “the future is unknown.”

Zelensky said that Trump has a great opportunity to end the conflict, adding that former U.S. President Joe Biden would not have been able to do so. Trump agreed that the issue could be resolved soon, but only if both sides show flexibility.

The U.S. president also touched on economic issues. He claimed that India would stop buying Russian oil, though the Indian government has made no such announcement.

In addition, Trump threatened to raise tariffs on China to 157%, instead of the previously announced 100%. Trump said he wants to pressure the main importers of Russian oil to abandon it, depriving Moscow of a major source of revenue — something he believes would help end the conflict more quickly.

Trump and Zelensky then continued their talks behind closed doors. According to RBC-Ukraine, Zelensky showed Trump a map highlighting the “pain points” of Russia’s defense industry and military economy — areas where pressure could be applied.

CBS News reported that Zelensky also sought to increase the volume of intelligence data Washington shares with Kyiv, which would make Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory more precise.

In addition, Ukraine is seeking equipment to modernize its existing weapons systems, including F-16 fighter jets.