Zelensky Leaves White House Meeting Without Promise of Tomahawk Missiles

President Trump seemed to throw cold water on the idea of supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine after a White House meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.In a post on his Truth Social account, Mr. Trump says the meeting was “interesting, and cordial.”But Mr. Trump went on to say that he told Mr. Zelensky, “It is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide! No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent. This is a War that would have never started if I were President. Thousands of people being slaughtered each and every week — NO MORE, GO HOME TO YOUR FAMILIES IN PEACE!”Mr. Zelensky spoke to reporters after the meeting, calling it “productive.” He said he discussed the need for long range missiles during the meeting but gave no indication Mr. Trump was receptive to the idea and noted that there were concerns over escalation of the war.Mr. Zelensky came to Washington seeking the long-range cruise missiles to strike Russian energy facilities deep behind the border. The Ukrainian leader thinks the long range weapons would put pressure on Moscow to come to the negotiating table.The two leaders took questions from the press before their meeting.“This is momentum to finish Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Mr. Zelensky said from the cabinet room. “Putin is not really, I think, not ready, but I think that I’m confident that with your help we can stop this war.”In recent days, Mr. Trump has appeared open to send the long-range missiles to Ukraine but sounded more muted about it after a Thursday phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Mr. Putin warned that it could escalate the war.“Tomahawks are a big deal,” Mr. Trump said.Mr. Zelensky then suggested that he would be interested in sharing his military drones in exchange for the weapons. Mr. Trump said he was open to the idea.The Ukrainians have been working to convince Mr. Trump that a victory by Moscow is not inevitable.Mr. Trump plans to meet Mr. Putin in Hungary in the near future to discuss the war. When asked Friday if Mr. Zelensky would be part of that meeting, Mr. Trump answered, “To be determined.”He then added it would likely be a double meeting without Mr. Putin having to meet directly with Mr. Zelensky.“These two leaders do not like each other and we want to make it comfortable for everybody,” Mr. Trump said, citing “bad blood” between the two leaders.Mr. Trump’s decision to re-engage with the Russians comes after a fruitless August meeting with Mr. Putin in Alaska. Mr. Trump has expressed a deep sense of frustration with Mr. Putin and has softened his stance about supporting Ukraine militarily.When asked if he was concerned about Mr. Putin stringing him along to prolong the war, Mr. Trump said he was but “I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well.Shortly before Mr. Zelensky visited the White House, the Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, joined the president in the Oval Office. As their meeting wrapped up, Mr.Trump said, “Listen to this” and “Time to Say Goodbye” started playing and Mr. Bocelli gave a brief performance of part of the song.It was not believed that Mr. Bocelli’s visit was connected to Mr. Zelensky’s meeting.

Zelensky Leaves White House Meeting Without Promise of Tomahawk Missiles

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