OAN Staff Blake Wolf
3:09 PM – Friday, October 17, 2025
President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday as Kyiv seeks to secure long-range Tomahawk missiles made in the United States — aiming to bolster its defense against Russia.
President Trump’s meeting with Zelensky represents the Ukrainian leader’s third trip to the White House since Trump returned to office in his second term, which follows a “very productive” phone call the president recently held with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he continues his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“Tomahawks are a big deal,” President Trump told reporters alongside his cabinet during his meeting with Zelensky. “But one thing I have to say, we want Tomahawks, also. We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.”
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks. I think we’re fairly close to that,” Trump continued.
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Although the president has stated that the U.S. would only sell the Tomahawk missiles to NATO countries for purchase and distribution to Ukraine, President Trump suggested that the United States might be willing to provide Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles in exchange for Ukrainian drones. Analysts, however, note that the strong rhetoric could be intended as a pressure tactic to bring Putin closer to a peace agreement.
“They make a very good drone,” Trump stated, referencing Ukraine. “I might say, ‘Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send the Tomahawks.’”
Zelensky has requested Tomahawk missiles from the United States, as they have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles), which would allow Ukraine to strike deep within Russian territory — ultimately shifting the dynamic of the war.
The Ukrainian president has also claimed that Moscow is now “rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks.”
At one point during the cabinet meeting, Zelensky was asked by a reporter what concessions he’s willing to make in order to achieve peace, and whether Ukraine would forgo its aspirations of joining NATO.
“First of all, I think we need to sit and speak. The second point, we need a ceasefire. Even now you see in the Middle East, it’s very difficult to hold a ceasefire. Everywhere, in every war, it’s very difficult. We want peace, Putin doesn’t want. That’s why we need pressure on him. We will speak with president today, what we need,” Zelensky stated in response.
“We understand what we need to push Putin to the negotiating table. And as I said previously, so we are ready to speak in any kind of format, bilateral, trilateral, it doesn’t matter,” he continued.
Speaking on NATO, Zelensky asserted, “For Ukrainians, it’s very important. Of course, it’s our decision, [the] decisions of allies to decide where we are.”
“But the most important thing, the most important thing for the people of Ukraine, which are under each day’s attacks, [is] to have really strong security guarantees. NATO is the best, but weapon is very important. Allies on our side is very important, and between us, for us, bilateral security guarantees between me and President Trump is very important. We didn’t speak on the details about it but this is the most important document because the United States is very strong,” Zelensky added.
Additionally, President Trump indicated that he might invite Zelensky to an upcoming meeting in Budapest with Putin, which the two leaders had discussed during a recent phone call.
He suggested that both Putin and Zelensky would meet with him separately, rather than holding a trilateral meeting with all three together.
“These two leaders do not like each other, and we want to make it comfortable for everybody,” Trump explained.
The upcoming meeting in Budapest has yet to be scheduled, though Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán celebrated the news, stating that “Budapest is essentially the only palace in Europe today where such a meeting could be held, primarily because Hungary is almost the only pro-peace country.”
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