President Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday for talks of long-range missiles and a possible end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Mr. Zelenskyy is at the White House for the third time during Mr. Trump’s second term to make his case for support against Russia, this time for U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles.
The meeting comes after Mr. Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone Thursday and said they agreed that high-level advisers would negotiate next week in person.
“President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed-upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this ’inglorious’ War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Kremlin has warned that supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine will hurt Russia-U.S. relations.
Mr. Trump said last week the missiles could be a part of an ultimatum: Stop the war with Ukraine or he’ll send Kyiv the Tomahawk missiles it requested. But he hasn’t made a definitive decision.
Kyiv wants the missiles so it can strike deeper in Russia and defend against consistent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Mr. Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on Thursday and met with the executives of American energy companies, representatives from defense companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“The challenge is clear — Ukraine needs more strength, and we can achieve this together,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on X. “We discussed the urgent needs of the moment — very concrete measures to support our energy system, as well as long-term cooperation. There are specific projects that could create more opportunities for both our countries.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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