MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump against supplying more missiles to Ukraine

“Let each declare victory, and let History decide!” Trump argued

US President Donald Trump told his Ukrainian colleague, Volodymyr Zelensky, that he was reluctant to deliver Tomahawk long-range missiles to Kyiv. He made those remarks during a meeting at the White House. The Ukrainian government considers these supplies vital for attacking military and energy infrastructure deep within Russian territory.

Trump stated he would “prefer that they didn't need them” and cited that the US also needs the missiles for national defense.

The meeting came just 24 hours after Trump held an extensive phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they agreed to meet in Budapest in a couple of weeks. Sources close to the White House suggest this call directly influenced the US hardening its stance.

The Republican leader defined Friday's meeting as “very interesting and cordial” and urged both sides to halt the military escalation. On his social media platform Truth, he suggested: “Both should stop where they are. Let each declare victory, and let History decide!”

Zelensky also found the encounter “productive” but avoided questions about the Tomahawks. “The president is right; we must stop where we are,” he insisted.

Trump is seeking to consolidate his role as a mediator, leveraging the momentum from the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement (which he took credit for pushing) to achieve a deal between Ukraine and Russia.

The planned summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest, Hungary (chosen because both leaders “like” Hungarian leader Viktor Orban), is expected to set the course for the conflict in the coming months.

Trump's shift toward a more dialogue-oriented stance seems to have been influenced by pressure from European allies and growing skepticism about Russia's military capability. However, the White House has avoided imposing severe sanctions against Moscow, instead targeting allies like India with tariffs for buying Russian energy.