Ukraine president suggests after talks that the door may not be entirely closed on deal for US long-range missiles; Zelenskyy has ‘productive’ call with European leaders. What we know on day 1,333
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine needs American long-range missiles for an offensive against Russian targets but that he was “realistic” about his chances of getting them. The Ukrainian president was speaking after talks with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday during which the US president appeared cool on the prospect of supplying Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles. However, in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press,” Zelenskyy suggested the door was not entirely closed. “It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no,’ but for today, didn’t say ‘yes,’” he said. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine needed Tomahawks because “it’s very difficult just to operate only with Ukrainian drones.”
After the meeting, Trump implored the combatants to “stop the war immediately”, even if it means Ukraine conceding territory. “Stop the killing. And that should be it,” he told journalists after arriving in Florida. On social media he suggested freezing the conflict, saying: “They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!” When asked about the social media post, which he had not seen, Zelenskyy said: “The president is right we have to stop where we are, and then to speak.”
