Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has learned from his previous meetings with President Donald Trump and understands the U.S. president loves the art of the deal.
Speaking in front of cameras at the White House on Friday before lunch with Trump and his team in the Cabinet Room, Zelensky floated the idea of exchanging drone technology with the United States, possibly in exchange for his coveted Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Ukrainian leader is reportedly also asking Trump for increased intelligence sharing.
Zelensky’s approach comes after Trump this week downplayed the prospect of him providing Ukraine with the long-range missiles as the Ukrainian leader seeks to enhance his country’s long-range capacity.
Trump appeared open to a deal on Friday, telling reporters Ukraine produces “a very good drone,” some of which have struck deep inside Russian territory since the start of this war in 2022.
At the same time, Trump seemed skeptical about providing Tomahawks to Ukraine, repeating that he has “an obligation” to ensure that the U.S. is “completely stocked up” “because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace.”
“We’d much rather have them not need tomahawks,” he said. “We would much rather have the war be over, to be honest. … We need a lot of other things that we’ve been sending over the last four years to Ukraine.”
Momentum was increasing for Trump to provide Tomahawks to Ukraine last month after he announced his support for Ukraine “to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
But after another telephone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday — and the possibility for another meeting between the pair in as soon as two weeks in Budapest, Hungary, as Trump pursues a peace deal in the hope of a Nobel Peace Prize — Trump indicated his concerns regarding Ukraine and the Tomahawks.
Trump even equivocated on Friday on whether he continued to consider Ukraine capable of winning back the territory it has ceded to Russia.
Undeterred, Zelensky reiterated his understanding that Putin is “not ready” to end his war with Ukraine.
“But I think I’m confident that with your help, we can stop this war,” Zelensky told Trump. “We really need it. We see that they don’t have successful steps on the battlefield.”
Regardless of his decision regarding the Tomahawks, Trump, who complimented Zelensky on his “beautiful,” “stylish” jacket, previewed that he and his Ukrainian counterpart would discuss whether he would approve Ukraine striking deep into Russian territory with U.S.-made weapons. Trump chastised Zelensky earlier this year when he turned up at the White House in military fatigues.
Simultaneously, Trump remained adamant that “Putin wants to end the war,” saying, “I wouldn’t be talking this way.”
Zelensky’s new approach to Trump was also demonstrated during his trip this week to Washington, D.C., by his meetings with Energy Secretary Chris Wright, energy companies, and defense contractors, including Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. Raytheon produces Patriot air and missile defense systems, while Lockheed Martin makes F-16 Fighting Falcons.
“We discussed Raytheon’s production capacity, potential avenues for our cooperation to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and long-range capabilities, and the prospects for Ukrainian-American joint production,” Zelensky wrote of his meeting with Raytheon. “Solutions to enhance the protection of lives in Ukraine exist, and we are working at all levels to ensure their realization.”
When asked about the difference between Friday’s meeting and other iterations, Zelensky said he and Trump have “important dialogs” and that they are starting “to understand each other.”
Zelensky similarly sidestepped a question asking him to compare Trump with his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
“President Trump has a big chance now to finish this war,” he said. “President Biden now is not a president, so he doesn’t have a chance to finish this war. And President Trump has really showed for the world that he can manage ceasefire in Middle East, and that’s why I hope that he will do this.”
Despite Trump’s reservations about providing Tomahawks to Ukraine, the proposal has support from the likes of the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025.
“After missing the opportunity to end the war over an excessive fear of Putin escalating by Biden’s national security team, today there are few options to change the power dynamic on the battlefield,” Heritage Foundation national security senior research fellow Brent Sadler told the Washington Examiner. “The provision of Tomahawk cruise missiles with their stealth and long range offers an option to impose costs on Russia’s war effort.”
For Sadler, Tomahawks would supplement Ukraine’s existing arsenal of weapons, particularly considering the U.S. is now providing Ukraine with extended-range attack munitions and mini-cruise missiles that can strike targets 286 miles away. Tomahawks have a 1,000-mile range.
“Together, and with added pressure on Russia’s wartime allies through secondary sanctions, enough pressure might finally be brought to bear on Moscow to end this war,” he said.
Trump and the White House downplayed more secondary sanctions after Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) endorsed the idea this week after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced legislation earlier this year.
Trump did impose a 50% tariff on imports into the U.S. from India in August, 25% of which are retaliatory against New Delhi for its Russian energy purchases.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters he would speak with Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) about his phone call with Putin, adding that “it may not be perfect timing” for sanctions.
Graham’s legislation included a provision for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, and uranium.
“We’ll make the right determination,” Trump said on Thursday. “I’m not against anything.”
Trump also expressed confidence on Thursday regarding his second meeting with Putin of his second administration despite their first meeting in August in Anchorage, Alaska, not resulting in his desired sit-down between Putin and Zelensky, let alone peace between the two men.
“Alaska actually set a stage, and that wasn’t very long ago, but it set a stage,” he said on Thursday.
On Friday, Trump replied, “Yep, we can,” when asked during Zelensky’s arrival at the White House about whether he could convince Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
TRUMP-PUTIN CALL DASHES ZELENSKY’S HOPES OF TOMAHAWKS FROM THE US
“I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well,” he went on in the Cabinet Room on the likelihood that Putin is trying to delay punitive actions by the U.S. against Russia with a possible second meeting. “It’s possible, yeah, a little time, but I think that I’m pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal.”
