President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House on Friday to discuss the ongoing war with Russia and efforts to end it.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has endured a lot. I mean, he really has. He’s endured a lot, and we’ve endured it with him, to be honest,” Trump said during the meeting. “It’s been a long time, and I think we’re making great progress.”
The meeting comes on the heels of a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Trump, confident after brokering the peace deal in Gaza, has now turned his focus to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Zelenskyy congratulated Trump on the successful ceasefire and said he thinks it’s the “momentum” to finish the war with Russia. Trump shared a similar sentiment both in the meeting with Zelenskyy and after his call with Putin.
Trump will also be meeting with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks to see if they can bring the “inglorious” war to an end.
Ongoing conversation about the war has centered on the United States possibly sending Ukraine Tomahawk subsonic cruise missiles, known for precision, speed and ability to strike deep into Russia.
Trump was asked by a reporter at the start of his meeting with Zelenskyy whether he would consider providing Ukraine with the Tomahawk missiles it requested. The president said they would be discussing it during their meeting.
“That’s one of the things we’ll be talking about. Hopefully they won’t need it. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks,” Trump said.
Zelenskyy noted that it’s both a military and technological war with Russia. Ukraine has been successful in using drone warfare, but he also stressed his country’s need for the Tomahawk missiles and even offered the U.S. “thousands” of Ukraine’s drones.
Trump seemed open to providing Ukraine with some necessary equipment to end the war but also acknowledged a desire to keep the Tomahawks and did not provide a definitive answer.
“We want Tomahawks also. We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country,” he said.
Trump has changed his tune on the war in recent weeks. After previously claiming that it would be an easy war to solve, Trump has hosted several meetings with each leader and aimed to speed up the ceasefire. He once was urging Ukraine to give up the fight against Russia, but later shifted to frustration with Putin’s lack of interest in negotiating an end.
He shared Thursday that it was a “lengthy” discussion with Putin this week and the in-person meeting will be their second of the year after his efforts to sway Putin in Alaska in August were unsuccessful.
Trump and Zelenskyy’s “working lunch” meeting only lasted a few hours, and reporters were ushered out of the room following a Q&A.
It’s Zelenskyy’s third meeting at the White House since Trump took office, with their first meeting in February ending in shouting. Since then, the two leaders have exchanged pleasantries and worked together to end the war.
Trump shared an update Friday afternoon about how the meeting went, calling it “very interesting, and cordial.”
The president said he told Zelenskyy, as he told Putin, that “it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL!” Trump appeared to suggest that Ukraine should concede the land currently occupied by Russia, but did not say it directly.
“Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are,” he said. “Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”