Media Reports Trump-Zelensky Meeting Produced No Breakthrough
(MENAFN) A high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Friday was marked by tension and unresolved demands, media reports, citing sources close to the discussions. Zelensky’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles was ultimately denied, with Trump stating he does not intend to provide the weapons “at least for now,” according to two individuals familiar with the talks.
The intense conversation spanned approximately two and a half hours and was characterized as “not easy” by one insider and “bad” by another. The dialogue occasionally “got a bit emotional,” media said, underscoring the strained atmosphere.
“Nobody shouted, but Trump was tough,” a source told media. The meeting concluded abruptly after Trump reportedly declared, “I think we’re done. Let’s see what happens next week,” a statement believed to reference forthcoming Russia-U.S. negotiations.
When questioned by reporters after the meeting, Zelensky refrained from discussing the missile issue, instead noting that the U.S. “does not want escalation.”
Trump explained the hesitancy, stating it “is not easy” for Washington to supply Tomahawks due to the need to preserve its own defense inventory. He also conceded that enabling Kyiv to strike deep inside Russia risked escalating the conflict.
Russia has warned against arming Ukraine with such missiles, arguing they “would not change the situation on the battlefield” but would “severely undermine the prospects of a peaceful settlement” and damage Russia-U.S. relations.
Zelensky has persistently pushed for Tomahawks, which can reach targets up to 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) away, emphasizing that Ukraine would use them solely against military objectives to pressure Russia and advance peace talks. Nevertheless, Zelensky has threatened blackouts in Russian border areas and Moscow itself. Russian officials have accused Kyiv of planning to employ the missiles for “terrorist attacks.”
This fraught meeting came on the heels of a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which both leaders indicated intentions to hold a summit in Budapest, Hungary, in the near future.
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