As the portal emphasized, Zelensky hoped to leave Washington with commitments regarding new weapons for his country. But he found Trump with a very different attitude after he had a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
Trump has made clear that his priority now is diplomacy and he believes that providing Tomahawks to Ukraine could harm those efforts, two sources told Axios. One of them said the meeting “wasn't easy.” The second caller said “it was bad.” “Nobody was screaming, but it was hard,” he said.
“Trump made some strong statements during the meeting and it got a little emotional at some points,” the Axios source said.
The article continues below the video
The meeting – according to sources – ended abruptly after approximately 2.5 hours. -I think we're done. We'll see what happens next week, Trump said, referring to the planned next U.S.-Russian talks.
Volodymyr Zelensky talked to European leaders. “A clear signal”
President Trump emphasized that the current US proposal for a diplomatic solution assumes ending the war in Ukraine on frozen front lines. This is a difficult proposition for Ukraine to accept.
After the meeting, Zelensky held a conversation with European leaders, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk. According to an Axios source, several interviewees seemed surprised by Trump's change of heart. Shortly thereafter, leaders began issuing coordinated statements of support for Ukraine, a clear signal that the meeting with Trump was not a success, Axios wrote.
President Zelensky said during a briefing in Washington that he had discussed Tomahawks with Trump, but said he and Trump had decided not to raise the issue publicly because the United States wanted to avoid escalation with Russia.
When asked whether he was leaving Washington more optimistic about the potential sale, President Zelensky said: “I am a realist.”
A peace plan for Ukraine? This is the British Prime Minister's proposal
According to sources, Zelensky pushed for the transfer of the Tomahawks, but Trump opposed this solution and showed no flexibility.
During Zelensky's telephone conversation with European leaders, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was to propose cooperation with the United States to develop a peace plan for Ukraine similar to Trump's 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip, a source told Axios.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte proposed over the weekend to organize urgent telephone consultations with European national security advisers.
