Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. But while Zelenskyy is likely to renew his request for long-range missiles, recent Trump comments and fresh talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin have injected uncertainty into the meeting.
Though many U.S. lawmakers support selling Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine’s use, the president has wavered on the question.
Trump held what he described as a “productive” phone call on Thursday with Putin about ending the war, setting up a meeting with the foreign leader for next week. “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump wrote on on Truth Social.
Trump said in a press conference Thursday that he raised the tomahawk missiles with Putin: “Would you mind if I gave a couple of thousand Tomahawks to your opposition?”
“He didn’t like the idea,” Trump said.
He also suggested limits on what Washington could provide. “We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too. We have a lot of them, but we need them. We can’t deplete for our country.”
Trump said earlier this week that he “may send Tomahawks” to Ukraine, but a White House official refuted the notion that long-range missiles for Ukraine were ever imminent.
The official said that renewed talks with Putin shouldn’t be viewed as a step back from that kind of pressure but a step forward on diplomatic efforts.
“It’s a renewed effort to exert pressure not just on Putin but on everyone involved to come together and find a peaceful end to this thing,” the official said. “It’s a furthering of talks, it’s a furthering of making sure everyone knows the importance of ending this war.”
The push for long-range missiles has support from many lawmakers. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he hopes Friday’s meeting “reinforces President Trump’s resolve to continue to support Ukraine” and described the potential sale of Tomahawks as a way to “increase the cost of Putin” and “get him to the table.”
“There’s no question that Tomahawks could degrade Russia’s capability to wage war,” Graham said. “They can reach targets like missile and drone factories that can change the tide of the war.”
Zelenskyy first asked Trump for Tomahawks during their meeting at the United Nations last month, Axios reported. Trump later said he had “sort of made a decision” to let NATO countries buy the missiles for Ukraine. This week, he suggested he may tell Putin to resume peace talks or risk seeing Ukraine get the weapons.
Stacie Pettyjohn, a defense analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told NOTUS that the Tomahawk proposal is “an attempt to put pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table and eventually end the war.”
Pettyjohn said that while the weapons “are not a war-winning capability,” they would “greatly enhance Ukraine’s strike ability.”
Moscow warned against any transfer, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov citing U.S. involvement in operating the missiles and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it a “qualitatively new stage of escalation,” the Washington Post reported.
The White House has not said whether Trump will finalize a decision during Zelensky’s visit. U.S. officials have prepared options for supplying Tomahawks, but Ukraine lacks the systems to launch them, The New York Times reported.
Zelenskyy’s visit comes amid intensified Russian attacks across Ukraine. A large-scale drone and missile barrage this week struck gas facilities and energy sites across several regions, disrupting operations and forcing Kyiv to import more fuel.
Sen. James Risch of Idaho, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told NOTUS he backs Trump’s decision to help Ukraine, saying he is confident the president “will do what it takes to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts said the missiles would allow Ukraine to “strike deeper into Russia” and damage critical infrastructure. Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Trump’s approach to this war reflects his belief that “you get peace through strength.”
Democrats voiced similar support for approving the high-range missiles for Ukraine. “We should do everything possible to help the Ukrainians,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who also called for the passage of the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Tomahawks are “desperately needed” to hit Russian factories producing missiles and drones, calling Putin’s threats of retaliation “empty and unpersuasive.”
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said the capacity to strike “legitimate military targets within Russia” was a fair and proportional response. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said Russia “doesn’t get to set the terms of how Ukraine defends itself.”
“It’s like a giant bully trying to kick around someone on the playground and then complaining because their victim kicks back,” Warren told NOTUS.
A spokesperson for Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told NOTUS that Meeks “strongly supports resuming significant security assistance to Ukraine as it fights to preserve its sovereignty and independence,” but emphasized that any aid should be provided with “all appropriate congressional notifications and consultations” as required by law.
Some lawmakers were more cautious.
“It’s not my favorite idea in the world,” Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri told NOTUS. “But I’m open to it. I’m sure the president has a plan if he indeed decides to do that.” Hawley said Trump’s goal “to impel Russia back to the negotiating table” was right but warned that “the United States must not get meshed in a long-running war.”