For President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the week started off with high hopes.
President Trump had repeatedly floated the idea of selling long-range missiles to Ukraine that would allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russia, increasing the leverage Ukrainians would have to force Russia to the negotiating table. Mr. Zelensky had scheduled a Friday meeting at the White House hoping to finalize the acquisition of the U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles.
By Friday afternoon, Mr. Zelensky had left that meeting disappointed, telling reporters that Mr. Trump had insisted on keeping the missiles. The Ukrainian president would no longer talk about acquiring them, though the two countries would continue discussing the matter.
“I want not to make statements about it,” Mr. Zelensky said outside the White House, adding that the “United States doesn’t want escalation.”
He added: “I think that Russia is afraid about Tomahawks. Really afraid.”
Between Mr. Trump’s comments on Tuesday about transferring long-range missiles to Ukraine and Mr. Zelensky’s letdown on Friday was a pivotal moment: a lengthy phone call between Mr. Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who appeared to talk the American president out of the idea.
It was the latest example of Mr. Trump altering his position after a personal interaction with Mr. Putin. He has acknowledged in the past that he has felt misled by the Russian president. But his frustration with Mr. Putin often dissipates quickly.
In March, Mr. Trump declared himself “very angry” at Mr. Putin. In May, Mr. Trump called Mr. Putin’s attacks on Ukraine “absolutely crazy.” And in July, Mr. Trump vented to reporters that he believed the Russian president was leading him on by promising to enter into peace negotiations but never following through.
“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” he said. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
But each time, Mr. Trump has re-engaged, hoping to strike a deal.
Asked by a reporter on Friday whether Mr. Putin could be playing him, Mr. Trump conceded that was possible.
“I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well,” Mr. Trump said. “So it’s possible. But I think I’m pretty good at this stuff. I think he wants to make a deal.”
Mr. Trump’s equivocation on sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine only further raised the stakes of a proposed summit with Mr. Putin in Hungary. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also planning to meet with Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.
In a social media post on Friday, Mr. Trump called his meeting with Mr. Zelensky “very interesting, and very cordial.”
“I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL!” he wrote. “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”
Outside the White House, Mr. Zelensky responded to Mr. Trump’s message by arguing that the president was right, and that both sides should stop the fighting.
“We have to stop where we are,” he said.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump discussed the idea of sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine during his call with Mr. Putin. Afterward, he said it had not gone over well.
“I did actually say, would you mind if I gave a couple of thousand Tomahawks to your opposition? I did say that,” Mr. Trump told reporters, adding: “He didn’t like the idea. He didn’t like that. No, I said it. But that way, you have to be a little bit lighthearted sometimes, but, he doesn’t want to. Tomahawk is a vicious weapon. It’s a vicious offensive, incredibly destructive weapon.”
On Friday, Mr. Trump began backing off his suggestion, saying he wanted to see peace negotiations between the two countries before any discussion of sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over without Tomahawks,” he said.
At the White House, Mr. Zelensky made the case for why a weapons sale would help end the war. He proposed an arms exchange in which Ukrainian drones would be traded for the Tomahawk missiles, which can travel more than five times farther than the Army Tactical Missile Systems that President Joseph R. Biden Jr. agreed to provide Kyiv in 2023.
Mr. Trump at first seemed receptive to the idea.
“They make a very good drone,” he said.
But then the American president retreated to his reservations.
“One thing I have to say: We want Tomahawks also,” Mr. Trump said. “We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.”
Mr. Trump assured the Ukrainian president that he had spoken with Mr. Putin for more than two hours on Thursday, and that he believed the Russian president wanted peace.
Tyler Pager contributed reporting.
Luke Broadwater covers the White House for The Times.
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