President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, with Zelenskyy in Washington to make his case for acquiring U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles and other military assets.
“President Trump now has a great opportunity to end this war,” Zelenskyy said during a Cabinet Room lunch meeting with officials.
The Ukrainian leader highlighted Trump’s mediation of a fragile ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East, and said he believed there was momentum to do the same to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year invasion.
“That’s why I hope that he will do this and that we will also have great success for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives for a meeting at the White House in Washington, October 17, 2025.
Tom Brenner/AFP via Getty Images
Trump, who spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in an hour-long phone call in which they agreed to plan to meet face-to-face in the coming weeks, said he wanted the fighting to stop.
“We’re in this to see that end and if we can finish it quickly, and I think we can… We’ll see what happens. But the war in the Middle East was much more complicated. We did it. And I think we have a good chance,” Trump said.
In a post on his social media platform after the meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump described it as “very interesting and cordial” but said he believes “it’s time to stop the killing and come to a DEAL.”
Referring to Russia and Ukraine, Trump said: “They should stop where they are. Let them both claim victory, let History decide! No more shooting, no more death, no more huge, unsustainable sums of money spent.”
Days before the meeting, Trump seemed optimistic about the possibility of selling long-range missiles to Ukraine and expressed disappointment over Moscow’s continued attack. But after his call with Putin, Trump seemed more cautious and began to express concern about the depletion of American supplies.
“That’s a problem. We need Tomahawks and we need a lot of of other things that we have been sending for the last four years to Ukraine,” Trump said as he and Zelenskyy took questions from reporters on Friday.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, October 17, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Trump acknowledged it would be an “escalation” to sell the coveted weapons to kyiv, but said he and Zelenskyy would discuss it.
“We would prefer they didn’t need Tomahawks,” Trump said. “To be honest, I would prefer the war to end.”
Zelenskyy raised the possibility of a swap in which, if the United States provided Tomahawks to Ukraine, Ukraine would provide the United States with its drones. When asked if that was something he would be interested in, Trump said yes.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Zelenskyy told ABC News’ Mary Bruce that he believes Putin fears Ukraine will acquire the long-range missiles, but acknowledged that he may not get them in the end, saying, “I’m a realist.”
Zelenskyy also told reporters that he agreed with Trump’s social media post calling on both sides to “stop where they are.”
Zelenskyy said: “The president is right and we have to stop where we are.” And he added: “Both sides have to stop, but between us, “It’s about Putin because… we didn’t start this war.”
Zelenskyy has described the Tomahawks as a potential differentiating factor in the conflict, as they would give Ukraine the ability to strike deep inside Russia. That prospect, Zelenskyy said, could force Putin to negotiate.
“We want peace. Putin doesn’t want it. That’s why we need to put pressure on him,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky listens during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet at the White House, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Trump spoke further about his planned meeting with Putin in Budapest, saying the location was chosen because they both have a positive relationship with Hungarian Viktor Orban.
Asked if Zelenskyy would join them, Trump said there was “a lot of bad blood” between Zelenskyy and Putin.
“I would say it will most likely be a double meeting. It will be a double meeting, but we will have President Zelenskyy in touch,” Trump said.
Trump last met with Putin in Alaska in August, a high-profile summit that included a military flyover but produced no major breakthroughs.
Trump was asked on Friday if he was concerned that Putin was trying to buy more time with a second meeting.
“Yes, I am, but you know, the best had played me my whole life and I turned out very well,” Trump said. “So it’s possible. Yeah, a little bit of time. Okay. But I think I’m pretty good at these things. I think he wants to make a deal.”
