Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House on Friday looking for weapons to keep fighting his country's war with Russia, but met an American president who appears more intent on brokering a peace deal than upgrading Ukraine's arsenal.
While U.S. President Donald Trump did not rule out providing the long-range Tomahawk missiles Zelenskyy seeks, Trump appeared cool to the prospect as he looked ahead to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the coming weeks.
It was unclear what Putin had told Trump that prompted him to agree to the upcoming meeting. Their August summit in Alaska ended early with no major breakthrough.
The Kremlin said much needed to be decided and that the summit might take place "a little later" than within the two-week period mentioned by Trump.
After speaking with Zelenskyy for more than two hours, Trump implored both Ukraine and Russia to "stop the war immediately," even if it means Ukraine conceding territory.
"You stop at the battle line, and both sides should go home, go to their families," Trump told reporters on his way to his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. "Stop the killing. And that should be it. Stop right now at the battle line. I told that to President Zelenskyy. I told it to President Putin."
Trump’s move to re-engage with Putin, a strategy that has frustrated Zelenskyy and some European allies, cast a shadow over the otherwise cordial exchange as the two leaders spoke with reporters before a private lunch.
The two leaders then went behind closed doors where they also discussed a call the previous day between the Russian president and Trump, who has portrayed himself as a mediator between the warring forces despite the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
"I think President Zelenskyy wants it done, and I think President Putin wants it done. Now all they have to do is get along a little bit," Trump told reporters.
Zelenskyy, however, noted how difficult it has been to try to secure a ceasefire. "We want this. Putin doesn't want (it)," he said.
The Ukrainian leader was frank, telling Trump that Ukraine has thousands of drones ready for an offensive against Russian targets, but needs American missiles.
“We don't have Tomahawks, that's why we need Tomahawks,” he said.
Trump responded: "We'd much rather have them not need Tomahawks."
Later, Trump reiterated that he wants the United States to hold onto its weaponry. "We want Tomahawks also. We don't want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country," he said.
After the meeting, which Zelenskyy described as productive, he told reporters he did not want to talk about long-range missiles, saying the U.S. did not want escalation, and that he was "realistic" about his chance of getting them.
The Ukrainian president, who spoke by phone with European leaders after the meeting, said he was counting on Trump to pressure Putin "to stop this war."
When asked about Trump’s comments, Zelenskyy said: "President (Trump) is right, and we have to stop where we are. This is important, to stop where we are, and then to speak."
Trump's conciliatory tone after the call with Putin raised questions over the near-term likelihood of assistance to Ukraine and reignited European fears of a deal that suits Russia. A spokesperson for the European Union said it welcomed the talks if they could help bring peace to Ukraine.
Trump was asked on Friday whether he was concerned Putin might be "playing" him for time by agreeing to talks.
"You know, I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well, so it's possible," Trump replied.
Michael Carpenter, a former U.S. official who is now a senior fellow at International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the meeting with Trump was not what Zelenskyy had been hoping for but was in line with the administration's approach to the war.
"The underlying reality is that there is no inclination to impose costs on Russia," he said.
The president expressed affection for Zelenskyy, at one point praising him for wearing what Trump called a "very stylish" dark suit jacket after he was knocked earlier this year for visiting the White House without one.
"He looks beautiful in his jacket," Trump said. "I hope people notice."
Escalating clashes in South Kivu’s highlands are sending a rising flow of wounded to Fizi’s small general hospital, where staff warn they are runn...
Storm Leonardo has swept across the Iberian Peninsula, causing widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption in Portugal and Spain, leaving...
British serial killer Steve Wright has received a 40-year minimum sentence for murdering 17-year-old Victoria Hall in 1999, a crime he admitted for th...
Azerbaijan has summoned Russia’s ambassador in Baku and issued a formal protest note over remarks by Russian lawmaker Konstantin Zatulin, escalating...
A video on U.S. President Donald Trump's social media showing Barack and Michelle Obama depicted as apes was deleted on Friday after widespread critic...
Storm Leonardo has swept across the Iberian Peninsula, causing widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption in Portugal and Spain, leaving at least one person dead and forcing thousands to evacuate as authorities issued urgent warnings.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
An attacker opened fire at the gates of a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Islamabad on Friday before detonating a suicide bomb that killed at least 31 people in the deadliest assault of its kind in the capital in more than ten years.
If Fars News Agency is to be believed, Iran's neighbours should be on alert. The agency, which reportedly mirrors the views of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned Azerbaijan and Türkiye that if the U.S. and Israel attack Iran, they will become "legitimate targets for Tehran."
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Winter weather has brought air travel in the German capital to a complete halt, stranding thousands of passengers as severe icing conditions make runways and aircraft unsafe for operation and force authorities to shut down one of Europe’s key transport hubs.
Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed 24 Palestinians including seven children in Gaza on Wednesday (4 February), health officials said, the latest violence to undermine the nearly four-month-old ceasefire.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious goal of reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by March, though the timeline is widely viewed as unrealistic due to deep disagreements over territory, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.
At least 31 killed, scores wounded in suicide attack on religious site in Islamabad.
Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal met with senior U.S. officials in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss strengthening military and security cooperation, regional developments and the challenges facing Lebanon, the Lebanese army said on Friday.
Escalating clashes in South Kivu’s highlands are sending a rising flow of wounded to Fizi’s small general hospital, where staff warn they are running out of space and supplies as the conflict expands across remote areas.
Storm Leonardo has swept across the Iberian Peninsula, causing widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption in Portugal and Spain, leaving at least one person dead and forcing thousands to evacuate as authorities issued urgent warnings.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment