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U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that he is speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a lengthy conversation ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House on Friday (Oct. 17).
"I am speaking to President Putin now. The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
A White House official confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Trump is speaking with Putin on Thursday, a day before Zelenskyy meets with the U.S. president.
Trump will host Zelenskyy on Friday at the White House, where they are expected to discuss the possibility of Ukraine receiving long-range Tomahawk missiles, according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke to AFP.
Trump said Wednesday that the Ukrainians "want to go offensive" and that they would discuss Kyiv's request for the cruise missiles. "He wants weapons. He would like to have Tomahawks," Trump added.
On Tuesday, Trump said he remains "disappointed" that Putin has not ended Russia's war with Ukraine. Urging Putin to "really settle" the war, Trump said he expects Zelenskyy will ask for the cruise missiles during the visit.
Trump said on October 12 that he would send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if the war with Russia is not settled. "I might talk to him, I might say, 'Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I'm going to send them Tomahawks.' I may say that," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Middle East.
"The Tomahawk is a incredible weapon, very offensive weapon, and honestly, Russia does not need that," Trump said.
Tomahawk missiles are long-range, precision-guided cruise missiles. Russian officials have repeatedly warned that transfers of such systems raise risks of escalation, while Western officials have argued that arms deliveries are intended to help Ukraine defend its territory.
Russia previously warned that the possible delivery of the missiles to Kyiv could "end badly."
Trump has shown mounting frustration with Putin in recent months as the Kremlin leader snubs his calls for a ceasefire, while expressing sympathy for Ukraine as it fights against Russia's 2022 invasion.
Trump's frustration has mounted after a summit in Alaska with Putin in August failed to produce a breakthrough. The U.S. president is also keen to up the pressure for a peace deal in Ukraine following the ceasefire agreement he brokered in Gaza between Israel and Hamas last week.
Meanwhile, relations between Trump and Zelenskyy have warmed since February, when they sparred during a now-infamous televised meeting at the White House, in which the U.S. leader told his Ukrainian counterpart: "You don't have the cards."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated on Wednesday that Kyiv has finalized preparations for his upcoming meeting with Trump, stressing that the agenda includes both military and economic components.
"We have already prepared our part of the homework ahead of the meeting with President Trump – both the military component and the economic one. Every detail, everything is ready. The agenda of our meeting with the president of the United States is very substantive," Zelenskyy said in his evening address.
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to those assisting in the preparations, saying the talks "can truly bring the war closer to an end. It is the United States that can wield this kind of global influence, and we are doing everything to ensure that others around the world stand on our side in this effort."
A Ukrainian delegation including the prime minister, the head of the presidential office and other senior officials is already in Washington to prepare the groundwork for the meeting and hold talks with U.S. defense and energy companies, Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine is pushing the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative with partners in Central, Southern and Northern Europe to jointly procure American weapons, he added.
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