Zelenskiy came to Washington looking for arms to bolster his country’s forces in Ukraine’s three-year-old conflict with Russia, but Trump frequently highlighted his peace summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a matter of weeks, as Trump and Zelenskiy spoke with reporters.
That meeting hastily came together on Thursday, making clear that Trump remains intent on brokering a peace deal and taking the air out of Zelenskiy’s pitch for the missiles.
Prior to his private lunch meeting with Zelenskiy, Trump said the two leaders would discuss his call the previous day with Putin. “Things are coming along pretty well,” Trump told reporters. Zelenskiy noted how difficult it has been to try and secure a ceasefire.
“We want this. Putin doesn’t want (it),” he said. The Ukrainian leader was frank, telling Trump that Ukraine has thousands of drones ready for an offensive against Russian targets, but needs American missiles.
“We don’t have Tomahawks, that’s why we need Tomahawks,” he said. Trump responded: “We’re going to be talking about Tomahawks,” Trump said. “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks.”
He instead portrayed himself as a mediator between the two warring forces, despite the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. “I think President Zelenskiy wants it done, and I think President Putin wants it done. Now all they have to do is get along a little bit,” Trump said.
It was unclear what Putin had told Trump that prompted him to agree to the meeting, as their August summit in Alaska ended early with no major breakthrough. The Kremlin said much needed to be decided and that the summit might take place “a little later” than within the two-week period mentioned by Trump.
Trump’s conciliatory tone after the call with Putin raised questions over the near-term likelihood of assistance to Ukraine and reignited European fears of a deal that suits Moscow.
A spokesperson for the European Union said it welcomed the talks if they could help bring peace to Ukraine. But the president also expressed affection for Zelenskiy, at one point praising him for sporting a dark suit jacket after he was knocked earlier this year for visiting the White House without one.