Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is set to meet United States President, Donald Trump, in Washington on Friday, as Trump considers whether to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory.
The meeting follows a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Trump described “great progress” and said the two leaders had agreed to hold face-to-face talks in Hungary.
Trump described the conversation—the first with Putin since mid-August—as “very productive”, adding that teams from Washington and Moscow would meet next week.
Arriving in the US for his third visit since January, Zelensky said Moscow was “rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks”.
The Ukrainian leader has called on the US to supply advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles). Asked earlier this week if Trump was considering giving Ukraine Tomahawks, the US president said, “We’ll see… I may.”
However, after speaking with Putin, Trump expressed caution, saying, “we can’t deplete” the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding, “we need them too… so I don’t know what we can do about that.”
Trump’s call with Putin complicates Zelensky’s visit, with the US president writing on Truth Social after the conversation that he and the Russian leader “spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over.”
He added that “high level advisors” from both nations would meet next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.
Trump also said he would brief Zelensky on the talks on Friday, asserting, “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” and later told reporters he expected to meet Putin in Hungary “within two weeks”.
Meanwhile, Russia launched one of its largest attacks of the year on Ukraine just hours before the Trump-Putin call, firing 28 ballistic missiles and 320 drones, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna.
Commenting on the timing, Stefanishyna said the strikes “exposes Moscow’s real attitude toward peace” and in a statement to CBS added, “These assaults show that Moscow’s strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure – through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed the Budapest talks, calling them “great news for the peace-loving people of the world.”
He also emphasized, “Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent.”
Trump has taken a tougher line on Russia since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough.
The US president had hoped the meeting, held on 15 August, would persuade Putin to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The pair spoke again shortly after, when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin. Since then, neither the White House nor the Kremlin has confirmed any further communications publicly.
During his campaign, Trump claimed he could end the war in Ukraine within days but later acknowledged that resolving the conflict had proven more challenging than any situation he had faced since returning to power.
Trump had previously been viewed as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and tensions with Zelensky reached a peak on 28 February when he and Vice President JD Vance criticized the Ukrainian president on live television.
Relations with Zelensky, however, have markedly improved in recent months.
In September, Trump indicated a major shift, stating he believed Kyiv could “win all of Ukraine back in its original form,” diverging sharply from his earlier calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.
In late July, Trump set a deadline of less than two weeks for Putin to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries still trading with Russia.
He did not enforce the threat after Putin agreed to meet him in Alaska, which Trump hailed as a diplomatic success despite the absence of tangible outcomes.
Earlier on Thursday, India’s foreign ministry cast doubt on Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil, with a government spokesman stating they were “not aware of any conversation between the two leaders” the previous day.
The US has pressed countries, including India, China, and NATO members, to halt Russian energy imports to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin, a position Zelensky has repeatedly echoed.
