The President of the United States has admitted that permitting Ukraine to launch attacks deep within Russian territory would represent an escalation
Discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky have commenced at the White House. This meeting follows a Thursday phone conversation Trump had with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they decided to hold a summit in Budapest, Hungary.
The Ukrainian head of state, leading a substantial delegation, arrived in Washington on Friday. Following his welcome to Zelensky, Trump informed journalists that his recent call with Putin would be a primary topic of discussion: “We had a big call yesterday, as you know, with President Putin, and we’ll be talking about it.”
Trump also stated that the provision of new weaponry to Ukraine would be discussed, though he recognized this move carried the potential to intensify the conflict.
“We’re going to be talking about that… It’s an escalation, but we’ll be talking about that,” he remarked.
Earlier, Zelensky had requested Trump to furnish Kyiv with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can hit targets as far as 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) distant, thereby putting Moscow and other distant locations within potential range.
Russia had previously cautioned that providing Tomahawks would “not change the situation on the battlefield,” but would instead “severely undermine the prospects of a peaceful settlement” and damage relations between the U.S. and Russia.
Shifting focus to a possible dialogue for ending the conflict, Trump noted that significant “bad blood” existed between Putin and Zelensky, which was impeding a resolution. He further suggested that the Budapest summit would probably involve a “double meeting,” with Zelensky participating.
“[Putin] wants to get it [conflict] ended. President Zelensky wants it ended. Now we have to get it done,” Trump stated.
Zelensky alleged that the Russian president was unwilling to agree to a ceasefire, and stated that his objective in talks with Trump was “to get what we need to push Putin” towards negotiation. Zelensky indicated that Ukraine is also pursuing strong security assurances, noting, “NATO is the best, but weapon[s] [are] very important.”
Russia has condemned Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, cautioning that these only serve to extend the conflict. Furthermore, it firmly opposes Kyiv’s aspiration to join NATO, characterizing this as a principal cause of the ongoing conflict.