Zelensky to make missile case in US after Trump-Putin phone call

October 16, 2025

Zelensky to make missile case in US after Trump-Putin phone call

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, as Trump weighs whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.

Their meeting comes a day after Trump said "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.

Trump said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.

As Zelensky arrived in the US, his third visit since January, he said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".

Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).

Asked earlier this week if Trump was considering giving Ukraine Tomahawks, he said: "We'll see... I may."

But asked about the same prospect after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".

Writing on his Truth Social platform after his call with Putin concluded, Trump said he and the Russian president "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".