Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Swipe for next article
Ukraine’s president is lobbying Trump to provide Tomahawk missiles to help in the war against Russia
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Donald Trump to provide Ukraine with potentially game-changing US Tomahawk missiles during their meeting in the White House tonight.
But the US president has warned doing so could leave to “a bigger escalation” in a conflict that is months away from its fourth anniversary.
The Ukrainian leader is in Washington DC for a high-stakes meeting to strengthen US support for Kyiv, eight months after he was hounded out at a disastrous Oval Office summit in February.
Zelensky has asked the US president for long-range Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia. Trump had seemed open to the idea in the lead-up to the summit and on Friday Zelensky mooted the idea of an ‘exchange’ for Ukrainian drones.
But a call from Vladimir Putin with Trump Thursday may have have convinced the American leader to hold back his arsenal ahead of their next summit.
Addressing questions from the press Friday, Trump said there was “a lot of bad blood” between Putin and Zelensky but he still believes he can convince the Russian leader to end the war.
Trump announced the summit with Putin on Thursday after a more than two-hour phone conversation with the Russian leader about Russia’s war in Ukraine, which he said was productive.
It was unclear what Putin had told Trump that prompted him to agree to the meeting, as their August summit in Alaska ended early with no major breakthrough.
The Kremlin said much needed to be decided and that the summit might take place “a little later” than within the two-week period mentioned by Trump.
Trump’s conciliatory tone after the call with Putin raised questions over the near-term likelihood of assistance to Ukraine and reignited European fears of a deal that suits Moscow.
A spokesperson for the European Union said it welcomed the talks if they could help bring peace to Ukraine.
But the president also expressed affection for Zelensky, at one point praising him for sporting a dark suit jacket after he was knocked earlier this year for visiting the White House without one.
“I think he looks beautiful in his jacket,” Trump said. “I hope people notice… it’s actually very stylish. I like it.”
Zelenskiy said Ukraine has thousands of drones, but needs missiles: “We don’t have Tomahawks, that’s why we need Tomahawks.”
Trump responded: “We’re going to be talking about Tomahawks,” Trump said. “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks.”
He portrayed himself as a mediator and reiterated his belief that both sides seek a peace deal.
“I think President Zelensky wants it done, and I think President Putin wants it done. Now all they have to do is get along a little bit,” Trump said.
In front of the cameras at least, the meeting went much more smoothly for Zelensky – even if he doesn’t manage to achieve his primary goal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, sat on the president’s side of the table.
Notably, during questions from the press, they did not get involved or talk over the Ukrainian leader.
It was a marked change from when Vance repeatedly attacked Zelensky on his first visit to meet Trump in the Oval Office.
Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House on Friday to plead to Donald Trump for Tomahawk missiles.
But the US president’s focus on his next meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest raised the possibility the Ukrainian leader may head home empty-handed.
Upon greeting Zelensky outside the White House, Trump nodded when asked by a reporter if he thought he could convince Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
Prior to the private lunch meeting, Trump said the two leaders would discuss his call the previous day with Putin.
“Things are coming along pretty well,” Trump told reporters.
Zelensky noted how difficult it has been to try and secure a ceasefire. “We want this. Putin doesn’t want (it),” he said.
President Donald Trump swore live on air during a high-stakes meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
Trump was taking questions from reporters and was asked about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro when he dropped the expletive.
“He [Maduro] has offered everything,” Trump said. “You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States.”
After using the swear word, Trump swiftly brought the press conference to a close.
Broadcasters apologized to viewers for the president’s language.
US Tomahawk missiles were repeatedly mentioned during the meeting between Trump and Zelensky.
But why are they so significant?
A long-range missile with huge potential for precision strikes deep in enemy territory, access to the weapon would provide Ukraine with a new kind of military might.
The Tomahawk is a US-made long-range cruise missile typically launched from sea to attack targets in deep-strike missions.
First used in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War, the missiles have evolved considerably over the last 30 years. According to manufacturer Raytheon, the most recent version, called the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk, or TACTOM, can switch targets while in flight, loiter for hours and change course instantly on command.
“Tomahawks are very dangerous weapons,” Trump continues. “They’re incredible weapons. If you like warfare. It’s one of the most accurate.”
He adds that the cruise missiles are “a big deal,” and “an amazing weapon.”
“They’re very powerful weapon, but they’re a very dangerous weapon. And it could mean big, you know, escalation. It could mean lot of bad things can happen. Tomahawks are a big deal,” he said.
“But one thing I have to say, We want tomahawks also. We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country. We have a very strong country right now. We have a strong military. We have the greatest military in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. I want to get this war over,” Trump adds.
Trump says he is, in fact, concerned that Putin’s offer to meet is just another play for time.
“I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well, so it’s possible,” he says. “But I think that I’m pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal.”
Trump has now pivoted to ranting about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize but immediately afterward adds: “I don’t care about all that stuff. I just care about saving lives.”
He also said the ongoing conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban-led Afghanistan would be “an easy one for me to solve, if I have to solve it.”
“In the meantime, I have to run the USA. But I love solving wars. You know why? I like stopping people from being killed, and I’ve saved millions and millions of lives, and I think we’re going to have success with this war,” he said.
“There are two real values that Tomahawks bring to the war,” says Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army officer and intelligence expert, as the conversation turns to the U.S. provision of missiles.
“They are very, very accurate and have a stealth better than most other missiles in the Ukrainian arsenal.
“The second and more important value is political – their supply would send a very clear message to Putin that the US is committed to Ukraine and angry at Russia.”
“The level of support that the US would have to provide is something Putin is well aware of – hence his move to speak to Trump and try and wrestle the initiative back,” Ingram says.
“The fact that there will be a meeting between the two suggests that Putin has once again played Trump like a grand master – we will see if that is true once we get a statement after Trump’s meeting with Zelensky.”
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in