Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the details of the talks, that the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, October 17, 2025, was tense, with Trump emphasizing that he had no intention of providing long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, at least for now.
The sources added that Trump made it clear that his current priority is diplomacy and believes that providing the Mohawks could undermine those efforts.
Zelensky, who came to Washington hoping to secure arms commitments, returned without achieving his main demands, including Tomahawks and other advanced systems, and ended the two-and-a-half-hour meeting without any commitments for new weapons.
Trump’s stance came a day after his lengthy call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and reflects the White House’s new focus on peace talks.
