Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal with Russia, pouring cold water on Kyiv's hopes for Tomahawk missiles as the US president renewed a push to settle the war.
As recently as last month, Trump said he believed Ukraine could take back all its territory — but a day after agreeing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a new summit, the American had changed his tune.
After meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, Trump said on social media that their talks were "very interesting, and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL!"
"They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!" he posted online, while flying to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.
Upon landing, he told reporters that Ukraine and Russia should "stop right now at the battle line".
Trump said the United States had to be careful not to "deplete" its own supplies of Tomahawks, which have a range of over 1,600km. Source: Getty / U.S. Navy
After the meeting, Zelenskyy said Russia was "afraid" of the US-made long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, and that he was "realistic" about receiving the weapons from Washington.
He told reporters that while he and Trump talked about long-range weapons, they "decided that we don't speak about it because ... the United States doesn't want escalation".
'Get the war over'
Zelenskyy came to Washington after weeks of calls for Tomahawks, hoping to capitalise on Trump's growing frustration with Putin after a summit in Alaska failed to produce a breakthrough.
But the Ukrainian left empty-handed as Trump eyes a fresh diplomatic breakthrough on the back of last week's Gaza peace deal.
Trump has appeared far more upbeat about the prospects of a deal since his two-and-a-half-hour call with Putin on Thursday, in which they agreed to meet in Budapest.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to get the war over with, without thinking about Tomahawks," Trump told journalists as he hosted Zelenskyy at the White House.
Trump added that he believed Putin — whom he met in Alaska in August in a summit that failed to produce a breakthrough — wanted the war to end.
Drones for Tomahawks?
Zelenskyy said he would be ready to swap "thousands" of Ukrainian drones in exchange for Tomahawks.
Kyiv has made extensive use of drones since Russia invaded in February 2022.
Zelenskyy also congratulated Trump on his recent Middle East peace deal in Gaza and expressed hope that he would do the same for Ukraine.
"I hope that President Trump can manage it," he said.
'Many questions'
Diplomatic talks on ending Russia's invasion have stalled since the Alaska summit.
The Kremlin on Friday said "many questions" needed resolving before Putin and Trump could meet, including who would be on each negotiating team.
A meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska in August failed to result in a breakthrough. Source: EPA / Gavrill Grigorov
Hungary said it would ensure Putin could enter and "hold successful talks" with the US despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes.
Trump frustrations
Since the start of his second term, Trump's position on the Ukraine war has shifted dramatically back and forth.
Initially, Trump and Putin reached out to each other as the US leader derided Zelenskyy as a "dictator without elections".
Tensions came to a head in February, when Trump accused his Ukrainian counterpart of "not having the cards" in a rancorous televised meeting at the Oval Office.
Relations between the two have since warmed as Trump has expressed growing frustration with Putin.
But Trump has kept a channel of dialogue open with Putin, saying that they "get along".
The US leader has repeatedly changed his position on sanctions and other steps against Russia following calls with the Russian president.
Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" to demilitarise the country and prevent the expansion of NATO.
Kyiv and its European allies say the war is an illegal land grab that has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties and widespread destruction.
Russia now occupies around a fifth of Ukrainian territory — much of it ravaged by fighting.
