Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has characterized his recent, reportedly tense, meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump as “positive,” despite failing to secure crucial Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Speaking to journalists on Sunday, October 20, 2025, in remarks embargoed until Monday morning, President Zelenskyy suggested that Mr. Trump might have reconsidered the missile delivery after a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin just hours before their Friday discussion.
During their meeting, Mr. Trump reiterated his call for Kyiv and Moscow to implement an immediate ceasefire and end the war. President Zelenskyy inferred from this stance that Mr. Trump “does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them.”
A key point of their conversation, according to Zelenskyy, was President Putin’s consistent maximalist demand: that Ukraine surrender the entirety of its eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This position, Mr. Trump reportedly confirmed, remained unchanged. President Zelenskyy expressed skepticism regarding a separate proposal from Putin to exchange some territory held in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions if Ukraine were to cede Donetsk and Luhansk, finding the offer “unclear.”
Ultimately, Ukraine’s leader noted that Mr. Trump supported freezing the conflict along the current front lines. “We share President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of the war,” Zelenskyy stated, highlighting “many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with him and his team.” He maintained a diplomatic tone regarding the meeting, despite earlier reports suggesting pressure to accept Putin’s terms. This meeting followed a previous highly publicized interaction in the Oval Office on February 28, where the Ukrainian president reportedly faced criticism for his perceived lack of gratitude for ongoing U.S. support.
Later that Monday, Mr. Trump told reporters that while Ukraine “could still win the war,” he personally didn’t “think they will.” He added, “Anything can happen, you know war is a very strange thing.” President Zelenskyy voiced his hope that an upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin in Hungary—a country not supportive of Ukraine—would pave the way for a peace agreement. Their initial summit during Trump’s current term took place in Alaska in August.
Zelenskyy clarified that he has not received an invitation to the Hungary meeting but would consider attending if the discussion format was equitable for Kyiv. He also subtly criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, expressing doubt that a prime minister “who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution.”
Despite the complexities, President Zelenskyy believes that all involved parties have “moved closer” to a potential end to the conflict. “That doesn’t mean it will definitely end, but President Trump has achieved a lot in the Middle East, and riding that wave he wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he concluded.
Looking ahead, Ukraine aims to acquire 25 Patriot air defense systems from U.S. firms, potentially funded by frozen Russian assets and international partners. However, President Zelenskyy acknowledged that acquiring all of them would take time due to lengthy production schedules. He discussed with Mr. Trump the possibility of expediting procurement, potentially through assistance from European allies. Additionally, Mr. Zelenskyy noted U.S. interest in bilateral gas projects with Ukraine, including constructing an LNG terminal in the southern port city of Odesa, alongside other initiatives in nuclear energy and oil.