Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
In a high-stakes and at times tense meeting on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back strongly against U.S. President Donald Trump’s assessment of the war in Ukraine, disputing the notion that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate peace. The meeting, which followed a recent phone call between Trump and Putin, underscored sharp differences between Kyiv and Washington on the nature of the conflict, its resolution, and the future of U.S. military support.
“Putin doesn’t want peace,” Zelensky said bluntly. “We want peace. That’s why we need pressure on him.” His comments came in direct response to Trump’s more optimistic take, in which the U.S. president expressed a belief that Putin was ready to end the nearly four-year war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
“I think President Putin wants to end the war, or he wouldn’t be talking this way,” Trump said during the joint appearance. However, he also admitted to conflicting feelings about the Russian leader, acknowledging, “I have been played all my life by the best of them.” Trump said he remained cautious, citing his decades of deal-making experience as both a strength and a source of skepticism.
The discussion grew more complex as reporters pressed both leaders on their respective stances. Zelensky praised Trump’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, noting the difficulty of establishing and maintaining ceasefires in any conflict, while simultaneously underscoring the need for robust American support to hold back Russian forces.
As the war drags on, Ukraine is seeking advanced U.S. weaponry, including long-range Tomahawk missiles, to shift the battlefield dynamics. Trump was noncommittal on the request, expressing concerns about depleting U.S. stockpiles and maintaining military readiness.
“We need Tomahawks. One reason we want this war over is because it’s not easy for us to keep sending massive weapons,” Trump said, hinting at domestic constraints on further military assistance.
Zelensky, in turn, proposed a reciprocal defense arrangement: American missiles in exchange for Ukrainian drone technology a capability-sharing agreement that could bolster both nations’ defense sectors while addressing U.S. cost concerns.
Despite their differences, both leaders signaled a willingness to engage in diplomatic efforts. Zelensky called for a ceasefire and reiterated his long-term goal of NATO membership, though he indicated a bilateral defense pact with the United States could serve as a viable alternative in the short term. Trump floated the idea of a peace summit mediated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, where both Zelensky and Putin could potentially participate though he acknowledged that animosity between the two wartime leaders might make direct talks difficult.
“We may do something where we’re separate, but separate but equal,” Trump said, referring to the format of a possible summit. “They don’t get along too well, those two… this is a terrible relationship.”
The proposed summit would follow a second one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin, which is reportedly being arranged in Budapest. Trump said that his recent phone call with the Russian president left him more convinced of Moscow’s interest in ending the war. “It just seems to me it’s how I feel,” he explained. “That’s all I’ve done in my whole life, I’ve made deals. I know about deals, I do it well.”
Still, there was no hiding the lack of trust on the Ukrainian side. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Zelensky remained unconvinced of Russia’s sincerity. “Nothing has changed for Russia it is still terrorizing life in Ukraine,” he wrote. “Russia will be forced to stop the war once it is no longer able to continue it. And Russia’s true readiness for peace lies not in words, Putin has never been short of those but in actually ceasing the strikes and killings.”
Trump revealed that during his call with Putin, he had jokingly teased the idea of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. “I did actually say, ‘Would you mind if I gave a couple of thousand Tomahawks to your opposition?’ I said it just that way. He didn’t like the idea,” Trump recounted. “You have to be a little lighthearted sometimes.”
The relationship between Trump and Zelensky has evolved since their heated Oval Office exchange earlier this year, when Trump reportedly told the Ukrainian leader, “You don’t have the cards.” Despite the earlier friction, Friday’s meeting reflected a more cooperative if still cautious dynamic. Yet Trump gave no firm commitment on supplying the Tomahawks, describing them as “vicious,” “offensive,” and “incredibly destructive,” and indicating he may wait for his second meeting with Putin before making a decision.
Meanwhile, pressure is growing within Washington to adopt a firmer line. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, speaking in Brussels on Wednesday, warned that if Russia continues to reject peace overtures, the United States will “take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression.”
Behind the diplomacy and posturing lies a grim reality: the war in Ukraine shows no sign of abating. Despite multiple rounds of international talks, Putin has not scaled back Russian military operations. The Alaska summit in August, which marked Trump and Putin’s last in-person meeting, yielded no concrete outcomes. Still, Trump insisted the meeting had helped “set a stage” for further negotiations.
Frustration lingers within the Trump administration over the unexpected longevity and brutality of the conflict. According to aides, Trump initially believed the war would be relatively easy to resolve due to his long-standing rapport with Putin, a belief that has since been tested.
First Lady Melania Trump has reportedly played a role in shaping the president’s evolving perspective, particularly in light of Russia’s continued targeting of Ukrainian civilians. According to sources, she has urged him to consider the human cost behind the war rhetoric.
As the possibility of another summit looms and the debate over military aid intensifies, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky offered a snapshot of the competing narratives that define today’s geopolitical landscape: cautious diplomacy on one side, demands for accountability on the other, and an unpredictable adversary in the middle.
Whether peace is genuinely within reach or simply an illusion both sides must pretend to pursue remains a question that only time, and potentially more Tomahawks, will answer.
