U.S. President Donald Trump is to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House amid plans for a Putin summit in Budapest. Image: CNN.
(The Post News)– U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to receive Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, as Kyiv lobbied for U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and Washington worked on a new Trump-Putin summit in Budapest.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington seeks a breakthrough on weapons that can reach deep into Russia. His ambitions, however, collided with Trump’s latest diplomatic pivot toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the U.S. president is scheduled to meet within two weeks.
Trump said on Thursday he had a “very productive” two-hour call with Putin. The pair discussed the prospects for peace and a possible summit organized by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a long-standing Kremlin ally. “We’re going to see if we can get this ‘inglorious’ war between Russia and Ukraine over,” Trump told reporters.
Zelenskyy Pushes for Tomahawk Missiles
Zelensky’s Washington agenda is clear: obtain approval for long-distance Tomahawk missiles. The precise missiles have a range of 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) or more, far enough to reach Russian military installations inside Russia.
“Every day of delay is a Ukrainian life,” Zelenskyy tweeted before his meeting. “The very threat of Tomahawks already makes Moscow nervous and encourages them toward negotiations.” He also plans to meet with U.S. defense industry leaders to discuss ramping up Ukraine’s air defenses, including Patriot and NASAMS systems.
Trump ruled out the possibility of sending Tomahawks, however, saying the U.S. needed to maintain its stocks. “We can’t deplete our country,” Trump said. “We need them too.” That hesitation dismayed Kyiv officials, who hope advanced weapons could give Ukraine traction in any future talks.
Trump’s policy towards the war in Ukraine has oscillated between appeasement and confrontation. He once vowed to “end the war in 24 hours” but now is seeking a diplomatic win after his triumph in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza last week.
After speaking with Putin, Trump said the Russian president congratulated him on the Middle East deal and was optimistic about new talks. The Kremlin confirmed the call, describing it as “frank and trustful.”
Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin warned that sending Tomahawks to Ukraine would harm “prospects for peaceful resolution.” Trump’s critics in Congress grumble that he keeps handing Putin symbolic victories without concrete results. “Having come away from Alaska empty-handed, Trump is once again rewarding Putin,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on X. “He should be arming Ukraine, not appeasing Moscow.”
Budapest Summit Raises Global Stakes
The suggested Budapest summit would be Putin’s first official visit to an EU country since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Orbán welcomed the suggestion, describing Hungary as an “island of peace.”
The city is also symbolic. In 1994, the Budapest Memorandum guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty in exchange for giving up its nuclear powers, a promise Russia later breached. Trump’s team, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will meet with Russian officials next week to set the stage for the summit.
For Zelenskyy, the visit is a diplomatic and personal test. His last White House visit in February ended in a televised screaming match with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. In August, he returned in a suit after Trump mocked him for dressing too casually and brought European allies with him to show unity.
Now, Zelenskyy wishes to prove that Ukraine can continue to count on American support. “We believe in our partnership,” he said before Friday’s meeting. “Together we can stop Russia’s aggression.” Yet Trump continues to hedge. “Because of my relationship with President Putin, I thought this would be very quick,” he said. “Who would think I’d finish the Middle East before I finish this?”
As Washington waits for signs of headway, the stakes are great for both men: Trump is looking for a global peace deal to boost his foreign policy legacy, and Zelenskyy needs tangible U.S. help to keep Ukraine’s war effort going.
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