Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump are meeting shortly at the White House. Ukraine's plans, turned upside down by Trump's announcement that he will meet with Putin in Budapest

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be received at the White House by Donald Trump on Friday at 20:00 Romanian time, just a day after the US President announced that he plans to meet in Budapest with Vladimir Putin to try to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine. His announcement upended the plans of Kiev, which had hoped the meeting at the White House would lead to progress on a key weapons request, reports AFP.

“Nothing has changed for Russia – it continues to terrorize life in Ukraine. A swarm of drones hit the city of Krivoi Rog, targeting civilian infrastructure. There were dozens of other attack drones in our skies. Missiles were also spotted. In fact, in recent weeks not a night has passed without Russian attacks on Ukraine. Most of the targets are infrastructure – a systematic campaign of terror against our sector energy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a message shared on the “X” network ahead of the meeting.

He added that Russia is “trying to turn this part of Europe into an island of danger and torment for human life” and that “it is essential that we do not allow this to happen”. Russia will be forced to stop the war only when it can no longer continue. And Russia's real readiness for peace is not in words – Putin has never been short of them – but in the actual cessation of strikes and killings, and this is where his problem lies,” he stressed.

Zelenski, who arrived in Washington on Thursday, will make his third visit to the White House since Trump returned to power, following a disastrous televised showdown in February and a reconciliation meeting in August, as the US leader's stance on the war continues to waver.

Trump's latest change of attitude took place on the eve of Zelenskiy's visit. He announced that he would meet Putin in Budapest, possibly in the next two weeks, in a new attempt to reach a peace deal and end Moscow's 2022 invasion.

Ukraine had hoped that Zelenskiy's visit would be more about increasing pressure on Putin, particularly by acquiring US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles with a long range capable of striking deep into Russia.

“Very productive” talk between Trump and Putin

But Trump, who once said he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, appears determined to pursue further diplomatic progress after the Gaza ceasefire deal he brokered last week.

Trump said Thursday that he had a “very productive” call with Putin and that they would meet in the Hungarian capital. He added that he hoped to have “separate but equal meetings” with both Putin and Zelenskiy, but gave no further details.

Zelenski said on his arrival in Washington on Thursday that he hoped Trump's success with the Gaza deal would produce results to end the war that has left parts of his own country in ruins.

“We expect that the drive to limit terrorism and war, which has been successful in the Middle East, will help end Russia's war against Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a message posted yesterday on the “X” social network.

Zelenskiy insisted that the threat of Tomahawk missiles forced Moscow to negotiate.

“We can already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about the Tomahawk,” the Kiev leader said, adding that during his US visit he will also meet with representatives of American defense companies to discuss additional deliveries of air defense systems.

Zelenski spoke of air defense systems in the message before the meeting with Trump

The American president, however, questioned whether Ukraine would ever receive the desired weapons, which have a range of 1,600 kilometers. On Thursday, Trump told reporters that the United States cannot “deplete” its own reserves. “We need them too, so I don't know what we can do about it,” he said.

According to him, the Russian leader “was not happy” when he raised during the call the possibility of providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.

The Kremlin said Thursday it was making immediate preparations for a summit in Budapest after what it called an “extremely honest and trusting” call between Putin and Trump.

Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin's top advisers, said the Kremlin leader conveyed to Trump that giving Tomahawks to Ukraine “will not change the situation on the battlefield” and would harm “prospects for a peaceful resolution.”

In his new message on Friday before the meeting with Trump, Zelenski did not directly refer to the Tomahawk systems, but to some air defense systems.

“Every air defense system for Ukraine matters – it saves lives. Every decision that can strengthen us brings the end of the war closer. Security can only be guaranteed if everything we have agreed, including here in Washington, is implemented. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine!”, he wrote.

A new episode in the saga of relations between Trump, Putin and Zelensky

Trump's relations with Putin — a head of state he has repeatedly said he admires over the years — and Zelenskiy have fluctuated sharply since the Republican leader returned to the White House in January.

After an initial rapprochement, Trump has shown growing frustration with Putin, particularly after his meeting in Alaska with the Russian president failed to materialize with a ceasefire.

Zelenski, meanwhile, went in the opposite direction, regaining Trump's support after the disastrous meeting in the Oval Office, when the US president and Vice President JD Vance sparred with him on camera.

The Ukrainian leader returned to the White House in August wearing a suit after being criticized for not wearing one at their first meeting, and was joined by a number of European leaders in a show of solidarity.