President Zelenskiy had hoped to leave Washington with promises of new weapons for Ukraine, but a day after a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladmir Putin, he discovered that Trump was in a very different state of mind. President Trump has made it clear that his priority now is diplomacy, and he believes providing the tomahawk could undermine diplomacy, sources said.
Behind the Scenes: One official said the talks “weren’t easy,” while another said they simply “sucked.”
No one screamed, but Trump was strong,” the first source said.
“Mr. Trump made several strong statements during the meeting, and there were times when he became a little emotional,” a second official said.
The meeting ended abruptly after two and a half hours. President Trump said of the planned U.S.-Russia talks: “I think it’s over. Let’s see what happens next week.” President Trump is scheduled to meet with President Putin in Budapest within the next two weeks.
During the meeting, President Trump briefed President Zelenskyy on Thursday’s telephone conversation with President Putin.
He emphasized that the current US proposal for a diplomatic solution is to end the war while keeping the front lines frozen in place, a proposal that is unacceptable to Ukraine.
Trump hinted at this stance in a post on Truth Social after the meeting. Describing the meeting as “interesting” and “heartfelt”, he said he had told both Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin that it was time to “stop here”, adding: “Let us both claim victory and let history decide!”
President Trump then departed for Mar-a-Lago without answering questions from reporters. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Zelensky held a conference call with European leaders immediately after his meeting with Trump. Some of the people appeared confused by Trump’s apparent change of heart, according to people on the call.
Immediately thereafter, leaders began issuing coordinated statements expressing support for Ukraine, a clear sign that the talks with President Trump were not successful.
President Zelenskiy acknowledged in a briefing with reporters that he had discussed the tomahawk issue, but said he had decided not to discuss the issue publicly with President Trump because the United States wanted to avoid escalation.
Asked if he was optimistic about the Tomahawks, Zelenskiy said: “I’m realistic.”
In fact, sources said Mr. Zelenskyy put a lot of pressure on the Tomahawks, but Mr. Trump pushed back and showed no flexibility.
MNA/