Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky were unable to reach an agreement on long-range Tomahawk missiles as the US president warned of ‘escalation’.
The Ukrainian president made his third visit to the White House since January, Trump finished an hours-long phone call with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in which they made ‘great progress’.
Zelensky has repeatedly been asking the US for Tomahawk missiles, which have the capability to hit Moscow if needed, with Pentagon officials confirming they were considering supplying them.
When asked earlier this week if Trump was considering giving Ukraine the Tomahawks, he said: ‘We’ll see… I may.’
But despite the apparent progress in the deal, Trump warned this evening the missiles will be an ‘escalation’.
What is a Tomahawk Missile?
The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a long-range weapon launched from sea to attack targets in deep-strike missions.
It can strike targets from 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away, even in heavily defended airspace – bringing Moscow into Ukraine’s reach.
The missile measures 20 feet (6.1 meters) long with an 8.5-foot wingspan and weighs about 3,330 pounds (1,510 kg).
Ukraine already has a number of domestically made and Western long-range weapons, including the Flamingo, Neptune and Harpoon.
The Tomahawk matches the Flamingo in distance, and will add to the country’s ability to defend itself as the Kremlin ramps up attacks.
He said: ‘I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace.’
He added Moscow was ‘rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks’.
Both Trump and Putin are now set to meet in Hungary ‘within two weeks’.
The Russian leader warned Trump supplying Kyiv with the Tomahawks ‘won’t change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries’, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser.
Ukrainian officials say the Tomahawks are needed to motivate Russian President Vladmir Putin to get serious about peace talks.
The Ukrainian president congratulated Trump over last week’s ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and said the US leader now has ‘momentum’ to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Zelensky and his senior aides met Trump and his team over lunch, a day after the US leader and Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict.
‘President Trump now has a big chance to finish this war,’ Zelensky added.
Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Tomahawks is disappointing to the Ukrainians.
In recent days, he had shown an openness to selling Ukraine the Tomahawks, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship.
But after Thursday’s call with Putin, Trump began downplaying the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about 995 miles.
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