President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine pressed for new weapons capable of striking deep within Russia during a meeting with President Trump at the White House on Friday.
But Mr. Trump expressed trepidation about providing Kyiv with the long-range Tomahawk missiles it is seeking, suggesting he first wanted to see Ukraine and Russia renew peace negotiations. “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks,” Mr. Trump said of Ukraine ahead of the private meeting.
Speaking to reporters near the White House after the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, Mr. Zelensky said Tomahawks were still under discussion. “I think that Russia is afraid about Tomahawks. Really afraid,” Mr. Zelensky said.
Mr. Trump called the meeting “very interesting, and cordial” on social media and reiterated his desire for both countries to “stop the killing, and make a DEAL!”
Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Mr. Trump said he said he envisioned a proposed summit with Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, in Budapest in the coming weeks as a “double meeting” during which he would meet with Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky separately, but the warring presidents would not meet directly with each other.
“These two leaders do not like each other, and we want to make it comfortable for everybody,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Zelensky arrived in Washington this week aiming to win more American support for Ukraine, including the long-range Tomahawk missiles, whose range exceeds 1,000 miles. Mr. Trump has dangled the possibility that he would provide Ukraine with Tomahawks as an incentive for Mr. Putin to come to the negotiating table, and Mr. Zelensky made Ukraine’s case for them in response to a reporter’s question in the cabinet room.
Mr. Trump’s apparent reluctance to provide the missiles could create a familiar situation for Mr. Zelensky. Since returning to the White House, Mr. Trump has repeatedly delayed imposing sanctions on Russia and put off more aid to Kyiv while giving Mr. Putin chances to negotiate that yield no apparent progress.
In this instance, Mr. Trump has been energized in his peacemaking efforts after he helped broker a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, and he has made clear that he sees ending Russia’s war on Ukraine as his next objective.
Mr. Zelensky has been trying to steer Mr. Trump toward Ukraine’s preferred strategy to end the war: fewer talks and more weapons deliveries to strike deeper inside Russia and force it to negotiate in earnest.
The Kremlin has warned Washington against the introduction of new and more powerful American weapons, saying that would be a serious escalation in the war. Even if Mr. Trump agrees to more arms sales, experts warn that Ukraine would need a lot of Tomahawks to make a difference. With the most recent versions of the missiles costing roughly $2.5 million each, it would be a challenge for Ukraine, and its backers in Europe, to find the money to acquire them even if Mr. Trump agreed to make them available.
Constant Méheut reports on the war in Ukraine, including battlefield developments, attacks on civilian centers and how the war is affecting its people.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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