Zelenskyy hopes to obtain Tomahawk missile support from the U.S., even after being surprised by Trump’s call with Putin and upcoming Hungary meeting.
Zelenskyy and his team were surprised by Trump’s call with Putin and the announcement of their meeting in Hungary.
According to the publication, the Ukrainian president, who arrived in Washington on Thursday, had been optimistic in recent days about his planned meeting with Trump and the U.S. leader’s willingness to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles.
“However, shortly after landing at Andrews Air Force Base, the Ukrainian president and his team were surprised to see Trump’s statement that he had spoken with Putin and agreed to meet him in Hungary — the least friendly country to Ukraine in the European Union,” Axios notes.
Despite this, the Ukrainian delegation said they still expect a positive decision from Trump regarding Tomahawk deliveries following the visit.
According to the schedule, the meeting will last no more than an hour. U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet over a lunch starting at 20:00 Kyiv time (13:00 local), according to the U.S. president’s schedule.
Trump will welcome Zelenskyy at the White House, they will take photos for the press, and at 13:15 a presidential lunch is planned.
The talks will be informal without press access. According to Trump’s schedule, the meeting is expected to end at 14:00.
Axios reports that Zelenskyy still hopes to agree with Trump on specific U.S. decisions regarding which weapons systems they are willing to provide, including the possible provision of Tomahawk missiles.
Notably, after speaking with Putin, the U.S. president hinted that he would not provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, saying “they are needed by the U.S. as well.”
He added that the conversation with the Russian leader was “very good” and that Putin did not like the idea of providing Ukraine with cruise missiles.
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