Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with President Trump at the White House this Friday. Their agenda includes discussions on arms agreements and pathways to peace. This meeting follows closely on Mr. Trump’s announcement that he intends to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future, aiming to broker an end to the ongoing conflict.
President Zelensky’s visit to Washington is a clear bid for increased American assistance. He seeks to capitalize on Mr. Trump’s recent suggestion of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, which possess the capability to target areas deep inside Russia.
However, a two-hour phone conversation with Mr. Putin on Thursday left the question of Tomahawk missile provision unresolved. Mr. Trump’s remarks indicated a renewed inclination towards diplomatic discussions with the Russian leader as his primary strategy for ending the war.
This diplomatic dance is familiar territory for President Zelensky. In the past, Mr. Trump has frequently postponed sanctions against Russia and delayed aid packages to Kyiv, consistently offering President Putin opportunities for negotiation that ultimately showed little tangible progress.
Inspired by his recent success in brokering a cease-fire and hostage release between Israel and Hamas, Mr. Trump is visibly invigorated in his role as a peacemaker. He has explicitly stated that resolving the war in Ukraine is his next major objective, and throughout the past week, he presented the potential Tomahawk missile sales as a strategic inducement for Mr. Putin to engage in serious negotiations.
This upcoming Oval Office meeting will mark the third direct encounter between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky there, and their sixth overall this year. This frequent engagement underscores President Zelensky’s unwavering dedication to securing Mr. Trump’s support, despite a particularly difficult meeting in late February where both Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly criticized him for what they perceived as a lack of gratitude towards the United States.
Reflecting on global events, the Ukrainian president remarked earlier this week, “There is now a very strong momentum for peace in the world — following the agreements reached in the Middle East.”
President Zelensky consistently advocates for Ukraine’s preferred strategy to conclude the war: de-emphasizing prolonged talks in favor of increased weapons shipments to strike Russian targets, thereby compelling Moscow to engage in genuine negotiations.
Recently, President Zelensky has intensified his appeals to the Trump administration for American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. These weapons are critical for enhancing Ukraine’s capacity to launch long-range strikes within Russian territory. Ukraine’s strategic calculation is that targeting vital economic assets, such as oil facilities, would significantly increase Russia’s war costs, ultimately driving them towards a comprehensive settlement.
Just this Wednesday, President Zelensky characterized these potential strikes as ‘our long-range Ukrainian sanctions capabilities,’ drawing a parallel to the economic sanctions imposed on Russia’s lucrative oil sector, a vital lifeline for the Kremlin’s military operations. Beyond offensive capabilities, he is also pushing for enhanced air defense systems to safeguard Ukraine’s airspace from relentless Russian assaults, which have recently caused extensive damage to the nation’s power infrastructure.
However, following his phone call with Mr. Putin on Thursday, Mr. Trump appeared to underscore the inherent dangers of supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. He described them as ‘a vicious, offensive, incredibly destructive weapon,’ confirming that the topic was raised during his discussion with President Putin, and adding, ‘Nobody wants Tomahawks shot at them.’
The Kremlin has explicitly cautioned Washington against any sale of these weapons, deeming it a significant escalation of the conflict. Even if Mr. Trump greenlights further arms deals, military experts caution that Ukraine would require a substantial quantity of Tomahawks, given their range exceeding 1,000 miles, to genuinely impact the war’s trajectory. Considering that the latest models of these missiles cost approximately $2.5 million each, funding such an acquisition presents a considerable challenge.
Ukraine is exploring a novel NATO-led procurement system, leveraging European funds to purchase American armaments. This mechanism has already facilitated the acquisition of approximately $2 billion worth of weapons, with an additional ten European NATO members formally joining the initiative just this week.
A high-level Ukrainian delegation preceded President Zelensky’s arrival in Washington earlier this week, preparing the groundwork for his visit. The delegation held meetings with Raytheon executives, the American manufacturers of Tomahawk missiles, as well as with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and various U.S. lawmakers. President Zelensky himself arrived on Thursday, also engaging with Raytheon representatives.