US President Donald Trump is ruling out the possibility of delivering the controversial long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, as the country desires, which would allow it to attack targets inside Russia farther from the border. In the White House meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, he expressed his hope that the war could end without having to send these missiles, although he did not rule out doing so. “We would prefer that they not need them,” he told Zelensky. He argued this by saying: “The Tomahawks are very important. But we also want Tomahawks. We don’t want to give away things that we need to protect our country.”

The meeting lasted two hours and twenty minutes, ten minutes less than the telephone conversation Trump had with Russian leader Vladimir Putin 24 hours earlier, in which the two agreed to meet in Budapest on a date yet to be determined. That conversation appears to have hardened the American's position on the delivery of the missiles to Ukraine. Earlier this week, Trump seemed to be seriously considering approving such a step, which would represent a clear gesture of support for kyiv, but after the call, he insisted that the United States cannot do without these missiles. Putin warned that sending these missiles to Ukraine would mark"a new phase in the escalation, which would even affect relations between Russia and the United States."

In a message on Truth, his social media platform, the US president described the meeting as"very interesting and cordial." But he made no mention of the Tomahawks. He simply urged both sides to"stop the killing." "Both should stop where they are, declare victory, and let history decide!" he commented.

Trump's apparent pause in support for Ukraine represents a setback for Zelensky, who had hoped for concrete commitments. At a press conference outside the White House, the Ukrainian leader called the meeting"productive" but declined to answer questions about long-range missiles. Instead, he focused on expressing confidence that the American wants to end the war.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Ukrainian president had suggested that, in exchange for the missiles, kyiv could provide Washington with Ukrainian drones, something his country already does. The American expressed openness to the idea."I would be interested," he confirmed, although shortly afterward he clarified:"What we want is to end this war."

Zelensky is demanding the Tomahawks because, in Ukraine's view, they could be key to attacking Russian territory: with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, they could hit oil facilities or weapons factories far from the border. They would be much more effective than the missiles currently being launched, such as the British Storm Shadow, which have a maximum range of 250 kilometers. And although they alone would not definitively turn the tide in the war, they would serve as a signal to the Kremlin that Washington is once again firmly on the Ukrainian side.

The Republican, who takes credit for the ceasefire and the hostage exchange agreement in Gaza, stated before the meeting that he wanted to take advantage of the momentum in the Middle East to reach an agreement between Ukraine and Russia."Things are progressing quite well... we want to see if we can get there," the American declared in the Cabinet Room of the White House, where the bilateral meeting was held."It's a very important moment," the Ukrainian confirmed.

Thus, everything now seems to depend on the meeting in Budapest between Trump and Putin. It will be their second face-to-face meeting, following the summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15. According to the American, it will take place"in a couple of weeks." But the Kremlin has been much more cautious and has warned that it could be delayed beyond that timeframe, as many details remain to be resolved.

“A leader we like”

Asked why he was meeting in the Hungarian capital, Trump said: “Because they have a leader we like, Viktor Orbán. [Putin] likes him. I like him. It's a safe country that's done a good job.”

This Friday's meeting took place in a very different atmosphere than the first between the two during Trump's second term, last February, when the president and his deputy, J.D. Vance, attacked the Ukrainian in a very public way in the Oval Office.

In an indication of the greater rapport now between the two leaders, the Republican praised his guest's dark suit before the press."Very elegant," he joked, following the awkward allusion to the military fatigues he wore during their first meeting at the White House.

This 180-degree turn in his position, unthinkable when he accused Ukraine of"not having the cards" to win the war, has occurred for several reasons. Among them, European pressure.

But above all, frustration at Putin's refusal to commit to a ceasefire. And disappointment over Russia's military capabilities. The American, who months ago considered Russia's victory in the conflict inevitable due to its much larger size, population, and resources, has seen the invading forces' summer offensive fail. He has also criticized Moscow's serious economic problems.

But even frustrated by Putin, Trump has consistently avoided imposing the sanctions against Russia he has repeatedly threatened. His administration has imposed secondary tariffs of 25% against India as punishment for its purchases of Russian energy, but has declined to apply them to China, Moscow's main customer and major partner.

In his statements following his conversation with the Russian, Trump did not specify whether he plans to threaten the Kremlin with punitive measures again if it does not come to the negotiating table.