Trump expressed confidence that he would be able to convince Putin to agree to peace, as he welcomed Zelenskyy at the White House.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump is hosting 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 Oct. 16. Trump said he plans 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 Oct 16, 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, are expected to be a central topic of discussion at today’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.
By Emel Akan
