President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House this Friday. A primary topic of their discussion is expected to be the potential sale of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.
These American-made missiles, characterized by as “vicious, offensive, incredibly destructive”, boast a range of at least 1,550 miles and can penetrate heavily fortified airspace. If President Trump authorizes the transfer of this advanced weapon system to Zelensky, Ukrainian forces would be able to strike military objectives in Russia’s principal cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Additionally, certain Tomahawk variants possess the capability to carry nuclear warheads.
Earlier in the week, the President suggested the potential for selling these missiles to Zelensky. While en route to Israel on Monday, he remarked, “If this war is not going to get settled, I may send Tomahawks,” .
During a two-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday evening, Trump mentioned that he raised the prospect of providing Ukraine with the long-range missiles. He informed reporters that Putin “didn’t like the idea,” .
Nevertheless, Trump also appeared to temper expectations for the deal, stating his reluctance to “deplete” American military assets.
Furthermore, Yuri Ushakov, President Putin’s foreign policy advisor, reported that the Russian leader cautioned Trump during their call that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv would “cause substantial damage to relations between our countries.”
Before the phone call, the Kremlin had already issued warnings against any potential Tomahawk transaction. On Sunday, a statement to Russian state media highlighted, “The topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern. Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides,” .
Over recent months, Trump has voiced dissatisfaction with both Russia and Putin. In September, he indicated that Putin had “really let me down” by not bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
An arms agreement, whether involving Tomahawks or weaponry of lesser range or capability, might be finalized by the two leaders at the White House later today.
At a press conference in Kyiv at the close of September, Zelensky stated, “As for what Ukraine wants from the United States of America, it is all there. We delivered to the U.S. president a request containing details and illustrations of what Ukraine wants,” .
The Ukrainian President further elaborated, “We discussed and agreed on the main points with the president. Now we are moving on to practical implementation,” and noted that distinct accords, such as one concerning the provision of long-range missiles, would also be deliberated in Washington.
Upon his arrival in the U.S. on Thursday, Zelensky held a meeting with representatives from defense contractor Lockheed Martin to explore possible arms agreements. He stated that he “outlined Ukraine’s specific needs for air defense systems and their compatible missiles, as well as F-16 aircraft,” , explaining that these defenses were necessary due to “increasingly brutal” Russian assaults on Ukraine.
Zelensky additionally convened with representatives from Raytheon, the manufacturer of Tomahawk missiles. Their conversations centered on collaboration concerning “Ukraine’s air defense and long-range capabilities,” .
The meeting on Friday coincides with Trump’s announcement of another upcoming meeting with Putin, scheduled to take place in Hungary.
Trump posted on Truth Social, stating, “President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this “inglorious” War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end,” .
The President likely hopes his next meeting with Putin will yield greater success than their previous encounter. Their last face-to-face discussion in Alaska in August, which was their first , and was intended to foster discussions about a path toward a potential cease-fire, but it ended earlier than expected and, notably, being reached.
The Oval Office meeting on Friday, at the very least, indicates substantial improvement in the relationship between Trump and Zelensky. In a remarkable meeting in February, publicly broadcast to global media, the Ukrainian President was told , among other things, that he had “disrespected the U.S.”
Vice President J.D. Vance commented, “Have you said thank you once? This entire meeting? Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America, and the President who’s trying to save your country.”
The Friday meeting between Trump and Zelensky represents their most recent interaction since Trump returned to office earlier this year.
Regarding Ukraine’s other Western allies, defense commitments have already been established. At a gathering of the ‘coalition of the willing’ in Paris in September, more than 30 nations pledged security guarantees for Ukraine.
These assurances featured commitments from 26 countries to deploy ground troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, contingent on a peace agreement being reached between Kyiv and Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron also hinted that if Russia failed to facilitate a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, the West, including the U.S., would impose additional sanctions on Russia.
Macron cautioned, “If Moscow doesn’t want to respect these conditions, we will have to take further steps with the U.S.” He further added, “The key argument here is that there are no limitations for the defence of Ukraine.”