By Emel Akan
Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. During the meeting, Trump expressed hope that he would be able to resolve the war without sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
The visit follows what Trump called a “very productive” phone call between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Trump said he planned to share details of that conversation with Zelenskyy.
“I think he wants to end the war,” Trump said of Putin as he met with Zelenskyy in the Cabinet room at the White House. “I spoke to him yesterday for two and a half hours.”
This marks Zelenskyy’s third visit to the White House this year.
Zelenskyy started his speech by praising Trump for successfully brokering a peace deal in the Middle East.
“You did it. And I think this is a momentum to finish Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
During the call on Thursday, Trump and Putin agreed to hold a meeting in Budapest, Hungary, soon.
Trump said the upcoming meeting in Budapest will likely be a bilateral one with Putin, rather than a trilateral summit including Zelenskyy.
He noted there is “bad blood” between Putin and Zelenskyy.
“These two leaders do not like each other, and we want to make it comfortable for everybody,” he said.
Tomahawk Missiles
U.S.-made weapons, including Tomahawk missiles, were expected to be a central topic of discussion at Friday’s meeting.
When asked about his decision to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Trump said: “It’s not easy for us to give … you’re talking about massive numbers of very powerful weapons.
“Hopefully, they won’t need it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks.”
The Tomahawk system would allow Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russia.
Earlier this week, Trump said he was considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles to bolster its defenses against Russia. However, he later appeared to question that possibility, citing concerns about maintaining U.S. stockpiles.
During the meeting, Zelenskyy suggested giving the United States drones in exchange for Tomahawk missiles.
When asked whether he would be interested in such a trade, Trump said, “We would.”
Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olga Stefanishyna said on Thursday that Ukraine has launched negotiations on a technology-sharing agreement.
The agreement “would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s cutting-edge drone technologies — across land, air, and maritime platforms,” Stefanishyna said.
Trump expressed confidence that he would be able to convince Putin to agree to peace, as he welcomed Zelenskyy at the door of the West Wing.
“Yep, we can,” Trump said when asked whether he could convince Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
Energy Supply
Zelenskyy also thanked U.S. energy companies for their assistance in the gas crisis his country is facing as a result of recent Russian strikes.
“I had a good opportunity to meet with the big American energy companies, and they’re ready to help us,” Zelenskyy told Trump during the meeting.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, targeting mainly its civilian energy infrastructure. The latest strikes in October destroyed nearly 60% of gas production, raising fears that millions of Ukrainians could again face freezing temperatures, power outages and blackouts this winter.
To offset the losses, Ukraine is seeking to import liquefied natural gas from the United States and looking for ways to finance the purchases.
