Trump Urges Zelensky To ‘Make A Deal’ As Tomahawk Plea Backfires

Donald Trump on Friday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “make a deal” with Russia, dashing Kyiv’s hopes of obtaining Tomahawk missiles as the U.S. leader renewed his push for a negotiated end to the war.

Just weeks ago, Trump had said he believed Ukraine could reclaim all of its territory. But a day after agreeing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a new summit, his tone shifted dramatically.

Following his meeting with Zelensky at the White House, Trump wrote on social media that their discussion was “very interesting and cordial,” adding, “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!” Trump posted while en route to his Florida estate. Upon arrival, he told reporters that both sides should “stop right now at the battle line,” warning that “it gets too complicated” otherwise.

Zelensky, meanwhile, said after the meeting that Russia was “afraid” of U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles but acknowledged he was “realistic” about receiving them from Washington. He added that he and Trump had agreed not to publicly discuss long-range weapons because “the United States doesn’t want escalation.”

‘Get the war over’

Zelensky traveled to Washington hoping to secure Tomahawks after weeks of lobbying, amid signs of Trump’s growing frustration with Putin following an unproductive summit in Alaska. But the Ukrainian leader left empty-handed as Trump sought a new diplomatic breakthrough following his recent Gaza peace deal.

Trump, who spoke with Putin for two and a half hours on Thursday and agreed to meet him in Budapest, sounded optimistic about ending the conflict. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over with, without thinking about Tomahawks,” he told reporters, adding that he believed Putin “wants to end the war.”

Zelensky said he was even willing to trade “thousands” of Ukrainian drones in exchange for Tomahawks. He also congratulated Trump on the Gaza peace accord, expressing hope that “President Trump can manage it” for Ukraine as well.

‘Many questions’

Diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s invasion have largely stalled since the Alaska summit. The Kremlin said Friday that “many questions” remained before Putin and Trump could meet, including who would be part of each delegation.

Moscow dismissed suggestions that Putin would face travel obstacles in Europe, while Hungary pledged to guarantee his entry and “successful talks” with the United States despite the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.

Since beginning his second term, Trump’s stance on the Ukraine war has shifted repeatedly. Early on, he and Putin exchanged friendly overtures while Trump derided Zelensky as a “dictator without elections.” Tensions peaked in February when Trump told Zelensky in a tense Oval Office meeting that he “didn’t have the cards.”

Relations between the two leaders have since thawed as Trump’s irritation with Putin has grown, though the U.S. president continues to emphasize his personal rapport with the Russian leader. Trump has frequently reversed his positions on sanctions and other measures against Moscow following direct talks with Putin.

Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a “special military operation” to demilitarize the country and block NATO expansion. Russia now controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, much of it devastated by the conflict.

On Friday, Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces had captured three more villages in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions.