Zelenskyy holds out hope Trump will still provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck a hopeful tone during a trip to the United States on Friday, even though he did not reach a deal with President Donald Trump on the delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles – weapons that could be a game-changer in the war against Russia.
“It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no,’ but for today he didn’t say ‘yes,'” Zelenskyy told NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in an exclusive interview, which will air Sunday.
Zelensky’s call for the Tomahawk missile comes as Russia bombarded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with drones and missiles last week, causing power outages across the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently warned that the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would constitute a “qualitatively new stage of escalation.”
Zelensky told NBC News that a Ukrainian army equipped with Tomahawk missiles was a real concern for Putin.
Russia is “afraid that the United States could deliver Ukraine — I think Putin [is] afraid that the United States will deliver Tomahawks to us. And I think he [is] I’m really afraid we’re going to use them,” he said.
Still, a return to Ukraine without a Tomahawk missile deal will likely make Zelensky’s critics question why he came to the United States.
To some extent, Trump appeared to limit expectations for a Tomahawk missile deal Friday when he met with Zelensky at the White House. Zelenskyy spoke with NBC News shortly after that visit.
Trump had a phone call with Putin on Thursday and he said on Truth Social that he would meet with the Russian president in Budapest, Hungary, for a second round of in-person talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump said his call with Putin was “very productive” and that he believed “great progress was made with today’s phone conversation.”
At their last meeting, which took place in Alaska in August, Trump gave Putin a grand welcome with a red carpet, a jet flyover and a ride in the presidential armored limousine known as “The Beast,” raising hopes that the conflict was finally coming to an end.
But Trump failed to pressure Putin into agreeing to a ceasefire or a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky.
Animosity between the two presidents poses a major obstacle, Trump said Friday during a news conference with Zelenskyy.
“They have enormous tensions between them. That’s really what’s delaying, I think, a settlement,” he added. “I think we’re going to get there, and we need to make sure it lasts for a long time.”
Trump’s recent success in securing a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the exchange of hostages for prisoners between the two sides also appear to have made the president optimistic about the chances of resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“The war in the Middle East was much more complicated. We succeeded in that one, and I think we have a good chance. I think President Zelensky wants it done, and I think President Putin wants it done,” he said at a news conference Friday.
