Head Of State Donald Trump, simply days after commemorating an Israel-Hamas ceasefire contract he assisted broker in the center East, transforms his focus Friday to the Russia-Ukraine battle, organizing Head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White Residence.
Ukraine’s ask for American-made Tomahawk rockets is anticipated to be an emphasis of the talks.
” They intend to go offending,” Trump claimed of Kyiv previously today. “I’ll make a decision on that particular.”
Head of state Donald Trump consults with Ukrainian Head of state Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Workplace at the White Residence, Aug. 18, 2025.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos
The long-range tools would certainly provide Ukraine the capability to strike deep inside Russia, and Zelenskyy defined them as a difference-maker in a problem that has actually dragged three-and-a-half years. Moscow, however, cautioned that Tomahawk distributions would certainly note “a hazardous rise of connections in between Russia and the USA.”
Trump and Putin held a lengthy telephone call on Thursday, eventually prior to his in-person conference with Zelenskyy. In a shock growth, Trump revealed he and Putin strategy to reunite (this time around in Budapest) to talk about the battle after first conversations amongst top-level consultants following week.
Trump claimed he would certainly be informing Zelenskyy on Friday what he and Putin gone over in the phone call.
The head of state claimed he spoke with Putin “a bit” regarding Tomahawks in their two-hour discussion. He claimed he asked the Russian head of state exactly how he would certainly really feel if he offered them to Ukraine. “He really did not such as the concept,” Trump claimed.
Trump additionally shared worry regarding diminishing the united state supply of Tomahawks.
” They’re extremely essential. They’re extremely effective. They’re extremely exact. They’re excellent. Yet we require them as well. So, I do not understand what we can do regarding that,” Trump informed press reporters as he took concerns throughout an Oval Workplace occasion.
Seafarers designated to Navy Artillery Command Pacific, East Asia Department, Device Guam lots UGM-109 Tomahawk rockets onto the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City, May 6, 2025.
United State Navy
This most recent polite press comes virtually 2 months after Trump held Putin in Alaska for a top-level top that eventually produced no significant advancement. Days later on, Trump invited Zelenskyy to the White Residence along with a delegation of European leaders that hurried to Washington to sustain the Ukrainian leader after an amazingly stressful scene in between Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice Head Of State JD Vance in the Oval Workplace back in February.
Trump, that as soon as claimed he can finish the Russia-Ukraine battle when his go back to workplace, has actually regreted that the problem is harder to bring to a close than he expected.
” This is an awful connection, both of them have. … Due to my connection with Head of state Putin, I believed this would certainly be extremely fast. And it has become– that would certainly assume I did the Center East prior to I did this?”
Head of state Donald Trump welcomes Russian Head of state Vladimir Putin as he comes to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Photos
In Alaska, Trump’s instant objective was to establish a trilateral conference with himself, Putin and Zelenskyy, or a reciprocal conference in between Putin and Zelenskyy. Those conferences never ever took place.
ABC Information Principal White Residence Contributor Mary Bruce, after Trump revealed he intended to satisfy Putin once more in Hungary, asked White Residence press assistant Karoline Leavitt if the head of state still thought he can obtain Putin and Zelenskyy in the very same area.
” I assume he assumes it’s feasible, and he would certainly, naturally, love to see that take place,” Leavitt claimed. ” Yet now, there were conversations and strategies are currently being created the Russian side and our individuals, led by Assistant of State Marco Rubio, to satisfy and after that for Head Of State Putin and Head of state Trump to probably reunite. Yet I do not assume the head of state has actually shut the door on that whatsoever.”
At the same time, Russia remains to pound Ukraine’s power facilities, shooting greater than 300 drones and regarding 3 loads rockets at targets throughout Ukraine over night right into Thursday.
Smoke increases in the middle of the damages in Kostiantynivka, a frontline community where some 5000 individuals still stick with no water, power and gas supply in the website of heaviest fights with the Russian soldiers in the Donetsk area, Ukraine, Oct. 13, 2025.
Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine’s 24th Mechanical Brigade using AP
Zelenskyy, touchdown in Washington on Thursday, claimed he wishes “that the energy of suppressing fear and battle, which operated in the Center East, will certainly assist finish the Russian battle versus Ukraine.”
” Putin is most definitely not braver than HAMAS or any type of various other terrorist. The language of pressure and justice will most definitely antagonize Russia too. We currently see that Moscow is hurrying to return to discussion, simply becoming aware of ‘Tomahawks,'” the Ukrainian head of state composed on X.
Zelenskyy met American protection and power firms on Thursday in advance of his Friday conference at the White Residence.
Trump sometimes condemned Russia’s intrusion on Ukraine and Zelenskyy, though has actually just recently shared irritation and frustration with Putin. Today, he claimed “all we desire from Head of state Putin” is to quit the murder of Ukrainians and Russians.
” It does not make him look excellent. It’s a battle that he must have won in one week and he’s currently entering into his 4th year,” the head of state claimed on Wednesday.
Protection Assistant Pete Hegseth, in comments at a NATO event today, additionally increase unsupported claims versus Russia, significantly calling Moscow the assailant.
” If this battle does not finish, if there is no course to tranquility in the short-term, after that the USA, together with our allies, will certainly take the actions needed to enforce expenses on Russia for its ongoing aggressiveness,” Hegseth claimed. “If we should take this action, the united state Battle Division stands prepared to do our component in manner ins which just the USA can do.”
Yet thus far, Trump and his management has actually kept back from enforcing harder assents on Russia. Rather, he’s concentrated on obtaining European nations and countries like India to quit acquiring Russian oil.
On Capitol Hillside, there are expanding telephone calls amongst Republican politicians– consisting of Us senate Bulk Leader John Thune– to wage a costs that would certainly place financial charges on Russia.
Asked what he thought of those initiatives on Thursday, Trump was noncommittal: “Well, we’re visiting.”
