US President Donald Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, a day after he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting came amid renewed efforts to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.“It’s an honour to be with a very strong leader, a man who has been through a lot,” Trump said as he welcomed Zelenskyy. “We’ve gotten along really very well.” He added that his recent call with Putin had been “productive” and that he believed “something can get done” to bring peace between the two countries.
Trump said both leaders Putin and Zelenskyy “don’t like each other,” calling the hostility “tremendous bad blood.” “These two leaders do not like each other, and we want to make it comfortable for everyone,” he said. “So one way or another, we’ll be involved in talks, but it might need to be in separate settings.”Asked about military aid, Trump expressed hesitation over supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. “One of the reasons we want to get this war over is that it’s not easy for us to give massive numbers of very powerful weapons,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks.”He added, “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’re in it to get the war over. We’re not in it to sell weapons.” Trump’s comments came after Putin reportedly warned that supplying long-range missiles could escalate the conflict and make peace talks harder.The meeting, their third in the Oval Office and sixth this year, also included discussions on Ukraine’s proposal to store US liquefied natural gas in its facilities. Before the lunch, Trump briefly joked about Zelenskyy’s “very stylish jacket,” referring to their earlier tense February meeting where the two had clashed on live television.Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his Middle East ceasefire efforts and urged him to use that to help end the war in Ukraine. “With your support, we can stop the war,” Zelenskyy said. “Their army and economy are weakened, and this is a crucial moment.” He also noted that he had met with American energy and defence companies “ready to assist after the attacks on our infrastructure.”Trump, who has frequently described himself as a peacemaker, said, “I solved eight wars. I’ve saved millions and millions of lives.” Referring to India and Pakistan, he added, “That would have been a bad one. But we solved it.” He said he hoped to make Ukraine “number nine.”After meeting Zelenskyy, Trump took to Truth Social to call for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine. Trump said it is time to let each side “claim victory” and allow history to judge. He added that the war would never have started under his leadership and urged leaders to bring troops home so families can live in peace.He wrote: “The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was very interesting, and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL! 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! No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent. This is a War that would have never started if I were President. Thousands of people being slaughtered each and every week — NO MORE, GO HOME TO YOUR FAMILIES IN PEACE!”Speaking to journalists outside the White House after meeting President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said, “I think that Russia is afraid about Tomahawks, really afraid, because it’s a strong weapon.”
