LIVE: Zelensky-Trump Friday Meeting on Potential Tomahawk Decision

US President Donald Trump, arriving in Florida Friday evening, told reporters he had pressed both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to immediately halt the war and “go by the battle line wherever it is.”

“Stop right now at the battle line,” Trump said, underscoring his push for an immediate ceasefire based on the current military positions.

The US president characterized his recent meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart as “a very good meeting, a very cordial meeting,” highlighting a positive, friendly tenor to the discussion despite the urgent nature of the war.

Trump did not provide details on the reaction of either leader to his “battle line” proposal, an idea that would effectively freeze the conflict along its existing front.

The press conference finished some minutes ago and Zelensky has left -- empty-handed for now. It remains to be seen whether Trump will agree to Putin’s demands more readily than he did to Zelensky’s, when the two leaders meet again in Budapest in the coming weeks.

While Zelensky was still speaking, Trump posted about their meeting to his social media platform Truth Social.

A reporter asked a non-plussed Zelensky for his response to the comments, which you can watch below.

Referencing Trump’s earlier comment that he and Putin “don’t like” each other, Zelensky agreed that Putin “hates” him.

“I think it’s strange, if they try to kill all of us, I have another attitude to this person. I have the same attitude to this man,” Zelensky said.

A reporter asked whether Zelensky still trusts that Trump is serious about ending the war. “We trust the United States,” he replied.

Zelensky apologized for being late to the press conference. He had phone meetings with the leaders of Ukraine’s European partners, the so-called Coalition of the Willing -- including Finland, the UK, Italy, Poland, and NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte.

Zelensky began his briefing by thanking Trump for the meeting. But, almost immediately, it became clear that Trump has made no commitment to Ukraine regarding Tomahawk missiles.

“We spoke about long-range, of course and I want not to make statements about it. We decided that we don’t speak about it because the United States doesn’t want escalation,” Zelensky said.

The Kyiv Post can confirm that Zelensky gave Trump a map of the Russian defense industry’s “pain points.”

(Photo by Alex Raufoglu / Kyiv Post)

Trump and Zelensky have both left the White House. Reporters are waiting outside for President Zelensky to give a press conference. 

AFP reports that a “Ukrainian delegation source” told them that Zelensky showed Trump ‘maps’ of potential targets in Russia during their “bilateral lunch.”

The meeting in the Cabinet Room continues. White House confirmed that the working lunch menu included a Fall Green Salad with crispy artichokes and shaved fennel; Pan-Roasted Chicken with sweet potato hash, snap pea fricassee, arugula and rosemary aioli; and for dessert, McIntosh apples and caramel chiffon with clementine ice cream and blackberry sauce.

Outside, the press are waiting for lunch to be over so President Zelensky can brief them. In the meantime, scroll down our live feed for a summary and analysis of what we know so far.

Zelensky proposed an exchange of Ukrainian drones for US Tomahawk missiles at the White House on Friday – but this plan has been in the works for months. So what do we already know about Zelensky’s proposal?

On Aug. 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a press briefing in Kyiv, where he outlined plans for a $50 billion “drone deal” with the US.

During the briefing, the president mentioned two proposals. The first, worth $50 billion, would involve Ukraine drawing on their hard-earned expertise in drone warfare to manufacture tens of millions of drones for the US.

Zelensky also mentioned a plan developed by Kyiv to purchase $90 billion worth of American weaponry – including long-range missiles – for use in defending their own soil. He later referred to this plan as the “mega deal.”

Click here to read on.

WASHINGTON DC – President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal to trade “thousands of drones” for US Tomahawk missiles has been met with positive initial assessments by foreign policy experts, who view it as a clever leveraging of Ukraine’s wartime technological edge.

The proposal, which Kyiv believes would enable it to strike deeper inside Russia to balance the playing field, has also secured a preliminary nod from US President Donald Trump, who said he would be “interested” in the deal.

Shelby Magid, Deputy Director at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, praised the initiative, telling Kyiv Post, “President Zelenskyy’s proposal is smart, strategic, and leverages Ukraine’s strengths.”

Click here to read on.

Trump ended the part of the talks that was open to reporters by responding to a question about potential mediation with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro. His parting shot?

“He has offered everything. You know why? He doesn’t want to fuck around with the United States.”

Stay tuned for more updates throughout the evening!

Trump batted away a question from a reporter about Putin’s motives, who asked if he agreed with Zelensky that the prospect of US Tomahawks for Ukraine has brought him back to the table.

“I don’t know what’s bringing him to the table, I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump said.

“They’re the only one,” Trump said, presumably referring to Spain’s hesitance to meet NATO’s two percent defence spending goal.

Trump revealed some details from yesterday’s conversation with Putin. The Russian President apparently “could not believe” that Trump had successfully solved “the war in the Middle East,” adding that it was “amazing” that Trump had ended nine wars,

Trump emphasized that the US is not suffering because of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. “We’re not losing money, not losing people,” the president said, adding that the US has just made a “very beneficial trade deal” with Europe.

“But that’s not why we’re in it, we’re in it to save thousands of lives a week,” Trump said. 

Asked about Tomahawks for Ukraine, Trump repeated that the US needs its weapons for its own defense. Zelensky interjected to point out that Ukraine wants to offer the US something in return -- drones. A “mega drone deal” between the US and Ukraine has been in the works since the summer, according to Ukrainian officials.

Asked by a reporter whether the US would be interested in this sort of reciprocal exchange, Trump replied “yes.”

The atmosphere is cordial, with a small number of press allowed to join the two presidents for their meeting. Trump once again complimented Zelensky’s outfit -- the black, suit-like outfit he adopted after being criticized by a reporter at the infamous Feb. 28 Oval Office interview.

In response to a question, Trump re-affirmed that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war. Trump said that he had a “very good” meeting with Putin and that he believes Putin “wants to get it done.”

Zelensky replies diplomatically when asked about the difference between Trump and former US President Joe Biden -- Trump interjects to respond that the difference is that one of them is “extremely incompetent.”

Trump, Zelensky, and various members of the press praised Trump’s claimed victory in Gaza.

Trump, asked whether he still believes Ukraine could reclaim all its territory, responded: “You never know, war’s very interesting, you just never know.”

Trump refers to Hungary’s Viktor Orban as a “great leader,” seemingly making allowances for Hungary’s continued reliance on Russian oil because Hungary has no ports. India, on the other hand, “will not” continue buying Russian oil, Trump says.

Reporters shouted questions about whether it will be a productive meeting or Trump will provide Tomahawk missiles, but it does not appear he responded.

The press pool has been asked to gather at the press briefing room doors now.

Zelensky arrived at the White House, where Trump greeted him with a handshake at the door. The two presidents ignored reporters’ questions, instead heading straight inside to begin their roughly 90-minute “working lunch.”

As reporters await Zelensky’s arrival, the EU mission in Washington has shared a factsheet about Europe’s contributions to Ukraine.

Defense, particularly Ukraine’s request for US Tomahawk long-range missiles, is expected to be at the top of the agenda for Trump and Zelensky’s meeting today. 

The Ukrainian delegation confirmed to reporters that the team arriving with President Volodymyr Zelensky includes:

– Head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak

– Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov

– First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergiy Kyslytsya

– Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna

US Marine sentries are already stationed outside the West Wing entrance, where the American and Ukrainian flags are displayed in preparation for the bilateral meeting.

Journalists are gathering outside the White House ahead of Zelensky’s arrival. 

Officials said that due to high interest, the post-meeting briefing will be held outdoors near the White House park and will start promptly at 3:30 p.m. EST (10:30 p.m. Kyiv time).

The Tomahawk missiles are expected to top the agenda during Zelensky and Trump’s meeting on Friday.

Whether the weapon will be a real game-changer is debatable, especially given Trump’s apparent reluctance to part with the missiles, saying they’re also needed elsewhere.

But even if Kyiv does get them, several questions remain about how it would actually use them – from acquiring suitable launchers to mastering the complex mission planning required to ensure the missiles reach their targets.

Check out this Kyiv Post analysis on why getting the missiles is only part of the equation.

WASHINGTON DC – President Volodymyr Zelensky’s current visit to the White House, his third during the Trump administration’s second term, is unlikely to secure the decisive shift in military strategy he seeks, according to a prominent defense analyst.

Zelensky is in Washington seeking to secure additional US military support, including long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles and expanded air-defense systems.

The Ukrainian leader also aims to persuade US President Donald Trump to move away from a diplomacy-first approach and instead apply greater military pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank, characterized the current US approach as “theater,” reflecting a basic White House trajectory: a desire to end the war while remaining “very unwilling to use actual sticks” to force a conclusion.

Missile talk discounted as ‘charade’

In an interview with Kyiv Post on Friday ahead of the White House meeting, Kavanagh specifically discounted the immediate utility of providing offensive weapons like Tomahawks, suggesting the discussion is more of a symbolic threat that is unrealistic in the near term.

“To me, the Tomahawk discussion was a little bit of a charade,” she stated. “There just really is no way in the near term for Ukraine to launch Tomahawk missiles… those are like medium term solutions, not things that happen right away,” she added,

The analyst agreed with the Trump administration’s apparent assessment that sanctions or even long-range strike weapons are unlikely to fundamentally change Putin’s calculus or bring the war to a quick end.

The core challenge, she noted, is that Trump seeks to end the war but lacks effective tools and is unwilling to take high-risk steps.

Focus remains on air defense and drones

Kavanagh argued that while Trump does not want to see Ukraine collapse – a scenario that would be politically damaging – his focus remains constrained by low US military stockpiles and a preference for non-escalatory measures.

Consequently, the analyst expects US aid to remain focused on enabling Ukraine to “stay in the fight” longer.

This includes prioritizing aid for interceptor missiles and air-defense systems.

The US can also provide financial resources to invest in technologies where Ukraine already excels, such as drones.

Finally, this approach involves encouraging European cooperation, pushing allies to provide assistance and utilize frozen Russian assets, the expert concluded. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet US President Donald Trump for a “working lunch” at the White House on Friday – but how might this meeting differ from their previous encounters?

On Feb. 28, a tense, televised meeting between Zelensky, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance at the Oval Office made headlines around the world. 

Trump and Vance accused Zelensky of ingratitude and disrespect after Zelensky challenged them on patently incorrect statements they made during the discussion – for example, that the US had contributed more to Ukraine than its European allies. 

In the wake of this hostile encounter, US military aid to Ukraine was suspended – pushing Kyiv-Washington relations to an unprecedented low.

However, an informal meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on Apr. 26 – which initially lasted just 15 minutes – appeared to signal a détente in US-Ukraine relations. It may also have paved the way for another formal visit.

On Aug. 18, Zelensky returned to the White House at Trump’s invitation. This time, their meeting was private – and although they conducted a joint press conference afterwards, the tone was notably more cordial. 

Despite this, their meeting still gave the impression of being carefully choreographed. One of Vance’s main lines of attack during the February meeting was Zelensky’s appearance – like former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II, he had worn military-style garb to the White House rather than the traditional suit. 

Zelensky appeared to take this on board, wearing a sober black suit-like outfit for the occasion of their second meeting. At times, the two leaders appeared to joke about the acrimony of their previous encounter.

On Sept. 23, the two men met again – not at the White House, but on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. This time, the meeting was also private, and the difference in tone between this and their February meeting was night and day. 

Later that night, Trump said in a social media post that Ukraine was capable of winning back its entire territory from Russian forces, even going so far as to refer to Russia as a “paper tiger.”

Zelensky appears to get better results when the two men meet in less formal settings – so perhaps his “working lunch” with Trump bodes well.

But only time will tell whether Trump will stay the course with his newfound support for Ukraine – and how deeply he has been influenced by a recent phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump after 1 p.m. EST for a working lunch in the Cabinet Room, per the White House.

This marks a departure from their two previous meetings earlier this year, both held in the Oval Office.