Tomahawks or Territory? Inside Trump and Zelensky’s tense meeting

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, recently hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. According to reports, the main objective of the Ukrainian delegation was to persuade Trump to approve the delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.

However, according to sources cited by Politico, the meeting was marked by numerous contentious moments. Trump reportedly revived the idea of Ukraine giving up some of its land to Russia, though one source said he ultimately agreed to “try to end the conflict along the current lines.”

Zelensky, who had come to the White House hoping to secure U.S. agreement on the Tomahawk missiles, left dissatisfied with the outcome.

Trump, who had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin for two hours by phone the day before, said after Friday’s meeting with Zelensky: “I think President Putin wants to end the war.”

During the talks, U.S. officials noted that Putin still intends to keep fighting and maintains a powerful war machine.

According to sources, Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, joined the discussion and remarked that Russia intends to seize full control of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Politico quoted insiders as saying there was a sense during the meeting that the Americans were testing Ukraine to see what concessions it might be willing to make.

For Ukraine, giving up the heavily fortified Donbas region is unacceptable, as Kyiv fears such a move would open the door to further Russian advances.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has floated the idea of a territorial exchange, though Trump has previously spoken about Kyiv’s prospects in the war.

Ultimately, Trump reportedly ended the meeting by saying: “Well, let’s try to end this along the current line.”

Another source told Politico that it appeared Putin had once again managed to sway Trump’s position on Ukraine with just a phone call.

Zelensky’s team had also been advised not to prioritize the Tomahawk missile request, especially given Trump’s phone conversation with Putin just one day before the White House meeting.