US President considers arming Ukraine as Moscow agrees to new summit
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, his 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 advanced Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of 2,500km (1,500 miles).
Asked earlier this week if Trump was considering giving Ukraine Tomahawk missiles, he said: “We’ll see… I may.”
But when asked again following his call with Putin, Trump said “we can’t deplete” the US stockpile, adding, “we need them too… so I don’t know what we can do about that.”
Trump-Putin call a curveball for Zelensky
Writing on his Truth Social platform after his call with Putin, 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.”
He said “high-level advisors” from both countries would meet next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.
Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin, adding: “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.”
He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin in Hungary “within two weeks.”
Trump has been seen as more sympathetic toward Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, but in recent months has taken a firmer line with Putin.
He had hoped a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August would convince Putin to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the war — but that meeting failed to deliver a breakthrough.
They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
Hungary to host new peace talks
Putin spoke with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The Russian president briefed Orban on his phone call with Trump, while the Hungarian leader said he would help organise a possible summit in Budapest. Putin also noted plans to discuss further steps to resolve “the situation in Ukraine” with US representatives, according to state-owned news agency Tass.
The planned meeting in Budapest was “great news for the peace-loving people of the world,” Orban wrote on X, adding that he had spoken to Trump by phone.
Orban later told state radio that Trump and Putin could have another talk a week after Rubio’s meeting with advisers.
“Since the EU is pro-war, it is logical that it will be left out of this peace process,” he said.
Russia launches fresh strikes ahead of talks
Hours before the Trump–Putin call, Russia launched one of its largest attacks of the year on Ukraine, including 28 ballistic missiles and 320 drones, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna.
Stefanishyna said Russia’s overnight strikes exposed “Moscow’s real attitude toward peace,” adding:
“These assaults show that Moscow’s strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure — through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defence, and the supply of long-range capabilities.”
Though Trump indicated he was considering sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, he told reporters the US could not deplete its own stockpile.
Ukraine’s navy does not have the ships to operate them, and the US has only a small number of launchers for Tomahawk missiles, typically deployed on ships and submarines. The US reinstated its land-based launcher programme, Typhon, in 2023, with at least two operational systems but few beyond that.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any decision to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would cause “extreme concern” and be viewed as “a major escalation.”
Strained but improving relations
During his campaign, Trump claimed he could end the war in Ukraine “within days,” but later admitted the conflict was “more challenging than any” since returning to power.
Tensions between Trump and Zelensky peaked in February when the US president and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader live from the Oval Office.
However, relations have improved in recent months. In September, Trump said he believed Kyiv could “win all of Ukraine back in its original form” — a stark reversal from earlier calls to cede occupied territory.
In late July, Trump warned Putin to agree to a ceasefire within two weeks or face sweeping sanctions, but he did not follow through after Putin agreed to meet him in Alaska.
Earlier Thursday, India’s foreign ministry disputed Trump’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil. An Indian spokesperson said he was “not aware of any conversation between the two leaders” having taken place.
The US has pushed countries including India, China, and NATO members to halt Russian energy imports, a call Zelensky has repeatedly echoed.
Source: BBC
Also read: Trump considering sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine
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