Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington hoping to obtain Tomahawk cruise missiles, which he argued would help strike strategic oil and energy targets inside Russia. After a roughly 2.5-hour meeting with President Donald Trump, Zelensky did not secure them.
In public remarks at the White House, Trump said he hopes the war can be resolved “without thinking about Tomahawks,” adding that the weapon is important to the United States and expressing reluctance to provide systems that could lead to escalation. Zelensky described the meeting as “productive” but said he would not comment further on Tomahawks, acknowledging that the U.S. does not want escalation.
Trump later urged both sides to stop the fighting and return home to their families. The visit followed a phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin the day before, during which a future meeting in Hungary was reportedly discussed.
Earlier, Zelensky had proposed a possible exchange: Ukraine could offer thousands of domestically produced drones to the U.S. in return for Tomahawks — a proposal Trump said he would consider but ultimately did not approve during the talks.
