Meeting at the White House When Trump mentions the possible US-Russia tunnel, Zelensky is less than amused
Ukrainian President Zelensky visited the White House again to talk to Trump about the war in Ukraine. The US President did not commit to the Tomahawk issue.
17.10.2025, 21:50
17.10.2025, 23:53
dpa
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- Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump have met at the White House.
- They discussed a possible end to Russia's war against Ukraine.
- The possibility of selling the US Tomahawk cruise missile was also discussed. Selensky hopes that this will enable precise attacks to be carried out in Moscow.
- A meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to take place in Budapest, Hungary, in around two weeks' time.
US President Donald Trump has received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi at the White House to discuss Russia's war against Zelenskyi's homeland.
During the talks in the US capital Washington, Selensky hoped for Trump's approval for the sale of the US Tomahawk cruise missile. With this long-range weapon, Ukraine could take more offensive action against Russia and also precisely hit targets in Moscow, for example.
Selenskyj and US representatives repeatedly emphasize that the Russian leadership can only be forced to give in with a policy of strength. At the same time, Trump says that his country also needs the Tomahawks.
Hopefully the war could be ended without having to think about these weapons, the US President explained. At the same time, Trump said about a possible end to the war: "I think we're pretty close". He believes that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin wants to make a "deal".
The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine had thousands of drones, but no Tomahawks. He reiterated that his country needed these cruise missiles. He also brought up the sale of Ukrainian drones to the USA again. Trump replied that the USA produces "very good drones" itself.
Meanwhile, the idea of a tunnel between Russia's Siberia and the US state of Alaska, which was brought up by Moscow, was met with little enthusiasm by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. "I'm not happy about it," said the Ukrainian in response to a direct question from US President Donald Trump, who then laughed. Trump had previously described the project as "interesting".
Following a telephone conversation between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Trump, Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev wrote on Platform X on Thursday about a "Putin-Trump tunnel" connecting Eurasia and America under the Bering Strait.
First meeting ended with a scandal
Selensky hopes that Trump's help will put an end to the war with Russia. "President Trump has a great opportunity to end this war," said the Ukrainian before the start of the talks with Trump. The US mediation in achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict in the Middle East was an example of this. At the same time, Selensky denied Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's willingness to agree a ceasefire.
Selensky had already arrived in Washington on Thursday. According to his own statements, he wanted to meet with representatives of arms companies in order to strengthen his country's defense. There were to be talks about additional deliveries of air defense systems.
This is the Ukrainian President's third visit to the White House this year. The two heads of state last met in mid-August - in a more relaxed atmosphere after the first meeting in Washington in February ended in an unprecedented scandal.
This time, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly right from the start. Trump praised Zelensky's outfit, for example. The Republican said the Ukrainian looked "beautiful" in his jacket and added: "Very stylish. I like it." Selensky wore a black suit jacket.
The comment brought back memories of the Ukrainian's visit to the White House in February. Zelensky had been criticized for his allegedly too casual outfit; a right-wing online commentator had voiced the complaints in front of running cameras in the Oval Office. At the time, Zelensky appeared in a plain sweater - a symbol of his role as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, which was interpreted as disrespect on the US side.
Trump and Putin aim to meet in two weeks' time
Shortly before the current meeting, Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone and then held out the prospect of a joint meeting. The Republican wants to meet with the Kremlin leader in Budapest "probably in the next two weeks", Trump announced on Thursday.
Budapest as the venue for such a format raises questions. This is because an international arrest warrant has been out for Putin since March 2023. This was issued because, in the opinion of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Kremlin leader is responsible for the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia.
At present, this arrest warrant is primarily symbolic: the court, based in The Hague, has no police power of its own to arrest Putin.
Viktor Orban wants to mediate
As an EU member state, Hungary would have to execute the arrest warrant - even though the country decided to leave the world court in May. However, this will not take effect until a year later. Budapest must also formally continue to cooperate with the court in investigations that began before the country left the EU.
Budapest was unimpressed by this: Putin would not be arrested, it said. Hungary's government would guarantee him unhindered entry and exit from the EU country and the successful completion of his negotiations.
No coordination with anyone is required for this, "as we are a sovereign country", said Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. The fact that Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has good relations with both Putin and Trump is also likely to play a role here.
Is another meeting realistic?
Trump and Putin had already met in Alaska in August - without Selensky and without any tangible results. Once again, Zelensky is not expected to take part in the meeting directly. However, Trump promised to remain in close contact with the Ukrainian president. An end to the war was foreseeable, both Putin and Zelensky wanted it.
Whether Putin and Trump will actually meet again this year could also depend on the outcome of the talks with Zelensky in the White House - and on whether the USA will provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles. In this case, the NATO partner states could buy the weapons from the USA and make them available to Ukraine.
Trump has long tried to intervene as a mediator in the Ukraine war, so far without much success. After the Alaska meeting, Trump had originally envisaged negotiations to end the fighting between the three countries - but these never took place.
