Volodymyr Zelensky went to Washington hoping to convince Donald Trump to give him Tomahawk missiles to attack Russia but instead they reportedly had another heated meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) looks on during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet at the White House on October 17, 2025(Image: Getty Images)
Donald Trump was reportedly swearing in a “shouting match” with Vlodymyr Zelensky at a meeting where the Ukrainian leader failed to get Tomahawk missiles.
The US president publicly called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war following a lengthy White House meeting with Zelensky on Friday.
And while in front of the media glare the discussions appeared more cordial than the arguments when the pair met at the Oval Office in February, there were still plenty of tense moments, reports The Mirror.
Trump’s frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly in the nine months since he returned to office, and now he seems to have edged back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land it has lost to Russia.
The Financial Times reported that Trump was “cursing all the time” during the meeting, which often became a “shouting match”. He warned Zelensky that Russia would “destroy” Ukraine if Zelensky didn’t agree to Russia’s terms for ending the conflict.
It is claimed that Trump wanted Zelensky to give up the whole Donbas region, although in the end they agreed that the US would back a freeze on the current frontlines.
Trump also signalled to Zelensky that he’s leaning against selling him long-range Tomahawk missiles, weaponry that the Ukrainians believe could be a game changer in helping prod Putin to the negotiating table.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance (L) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on October 17, 2025, in Washington, DC(Image: Getty Images)
Zelensky at the start of the White House talks said he had a “proposition” in which Ukraine could provide the United States with its advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv the Tomahawk cruise missiles. But Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the US supply, a turnabout after days of suggesting he was seriously weighing sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia’s invasion.
“I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace,” Trump said publicly. “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over to be honest.”
A European official at the meeting claimed that Trump told Zelensky he needed to agree a deal or face destruction. He stated: “If (Putin) wants it, he will destroy you.”
US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
At one point Trump is also said to have thrown a map of the frontline on the table saying he was “sick” of it, and adding: “This red line, I don’t even know where this is. I’ve never been there.”
Then, a short time after the meeting, which went on for more than two hours, Trump took to social media and said: “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”
Later, soon after arriving in Florida, where he’s been spending the weekend, Trump urged both sides to “stop the war immediately” and implied that Moscow keep territory it has taken from Kyiv.
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