Zelensky failed to secure Tomahawk missiles in talks with Trump

After U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he was not ready to provide Ukraine with the much sought-after Tomahawk cruise missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to have left the White House meeting empty-handed. 

In a statement following their candid bilateral talks, Zelensky said that he had discussed long-range missiles with Trump but decided not to comment further because “the United States does not want escalation.” 

Volodymyr Zelensky was publicly humiliated in the Oval Office by Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. However, the Ukrainian president’s latest visit to the White House on Friday was reportedly a disturbing experience. Before the meeting, Trump’s public remarks suggested that his stance toward Vladimir Putin had hardened strategically—enough to consider selling Kyiv long-range Tomahawk missiles. Yet when Zelensky arrived in Washington, the U.S. president had changed his mind, telling his guest that Ukraine should offer territorial concessions to Russia. 

The Trump-Zelensky meeting took place after Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his recent agreement to meet him in Hungary. Zelensky believes that using Tomahawk missiles to strike Russian oil and energy facilities could seriously weaken Putin’s war economy. 

While Trump did not rule out the possibility, his attitude during the White House meeting on Friday was far from firm. “I hope they won’t need them; I hope we can end the war without thinking about Tomahawks,” the U.S. president said, adding, “I think we’re quite close.” 

Calling the missiles “an important issue,” Trump claimed the U.S. needed them for its own defense. He also noted that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could further escalate the conflict but said discussions on the matter would continue. 

This cynical and immoral framing marks a diplomatically dangerous moment for Mr. Zelensky. Using language more suited to describing a real estate deal than an illegal invasion that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, Mr. Trump told Fox News that Mr. Putin would “get something… a certain property he has won.” 

If the planned meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents in Budapest—hosted by Hungary’s pro-Putin leader Viktor Orbán—takes place, potential territorial partition discussions are likely to dominate the agenda, just as they did in the failed Alaska talks. 

This possibility should weigh heavily on minds ahead of this weekend’s EU leaders’ summit in Brussels. After the signing of the Gaza peace agreement, which Putin warmly congratulated, Trump began portraying himself as a “mediator president.” In a brutally paradoxical way, it is highly likely that he will try to strengthen his reputation as a so-called noble peacemaker by pressuring Zelensky into accepting an intolerable deal that rewards Russian aggression. 

It is crucial that Europe ensures Ukraine has the resources and resilience to resist such pressure. Progress has reportedly been made on a proposal backed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to provide Kyiv with an interest-free £122 billion loan using frozen Russian assets. Whatever its source, this money will be essential to support Ukraine’s defense efforts through next year. 

On a more symbolic level, there are also signs of renewed determination to find ways around Mr. Orbán’s opposition to Ukraine’s EU membership process. 

As Mr. Trump continues his erratic path driven by arrogance, mercantilism, and admiration for brute force, EU leaders must be both creative and determined in the coming weeks and months to ensure that Ukraine’s interests are adequately defended. Mr. Putin, taking advantage of the moral vacuum in Washington, once again plays the role of president. A stronger balancing power on the other side of the Atlantic is needed more than ever. 

Reference 

Debusmann, B., & Sudworth, J. (2025, October 17). Zelensky fails to secure Tomahawk missiles at talks with Trump. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93dqew8l3xo 

The Guardian view on Ukraine peace talks: Europe must ensure Zelenskyy can resist Trump’s bullying. (2025, October 20). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/20/the-guardian-view-on-ukraine-peace-talks-europe-must-ensure-zelenskyy-can-resist-trumps-bullying