Trump hosts Zelenskyy at White House, signals hesitation to send Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv

President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House on Friday for high-stakes talks, amid growing tensions over Kyiv’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles and renewed diplomatic moves involving Russia.

Zelenskyy pushes for Tomahawk missiles

Zelenskyy, joined by top aides, pressed Trump to approve the sale of U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles, arguing they are essential to push back Russian forces and pressure President Vladimir Putin toward serious negotiations.

“President Trump now has a big chance to finish this war,” Zelenskyy said, referencing Trump’s recent diplomatic success in the Middle East with the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

The Tomahawk missiles, with a range of 1,600 kilometres, would enable Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory — a move that Moscow has strongly opposed.

Trump cautious after Putin call

Despite earlier openness to the missile deal, Trump appeared to walk back support after a phone call with Putin on Thursday. “We need Tomahawks for the United States of America, too,” Trump said, suggesting that U.S. stockpiles must be preserved.

Putin warned that supplying the missiles would not change the battlefield but would severely damage U.S.-Russia relations, according to his adviser Yuri Ushakov.

Energy deals on the table

Zelenskyy is also leveraging U.S. economic interests, proposing to store American liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Ukraine’s vast storage facilities — a move that would strengthen the U.S. presence in Europe’s energy market.

He discussed the idea with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and U.S. energy executives, stressing the need to rebuild Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and expand American investment.

Trump eyes role as peace broker

Fresh off his success in brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas, Trump is making Ukraine his top foreign policy focus. He announced plans to meet Putin in Budapest to discuss a path to end the war and hinted at the possibility of indirect talks between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

“They don’t get along too well, those two,” Trump said of Zelenskyy and Putin. “So we may do something where we’re separate. Separate but equal.”