The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, recently visited the White House to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles—capable of reaching farther into Russia. However, Zelensky’s timing could not have been worse. His request came just after a phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which rekindled hopes for a ceasefire.
### A Hope for Ceasefire and Changing Dynamics
The Trump-Putin call resulted in plans for a one-on-one meeting between the two leaders in the near future. Apparently, this dialogue also persuaded President Trump to hold off on providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Following the cabinet room meeting between Trump and Zelensky, President Trump did not hold a separate press conference or public farewell for the Ukrainian president. Nonetheless, Trump characterized the meeting with Zelensky in a Truth Social post:
> “The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was very interesting and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are.”
In other words, President Trump believes Ukraine should give up all the territory that Russia currently occupies to stop the fighting. But that would mean all the lives lost by Ukraine in resisting the Russian unprovoked invasion would have been for naught. Such a solution is unlikely to be Kyiv’s preferred option.
### Russian Long-Range Weapons Continue to Strike Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russia continues to use ballistic and cruise missiles, drones, and glide bombs routinely against Ukraine. Ukraine, however, currently lacks the weapons capability to retaliate with similar long-range strikes inside Russia. This capability gap is precisely why Zelensky sought Tomahawk cruise missiles during his visit.
The potential for the U.S. to supply Tomahawk missiles has been extensively debated among foreign policy experts and the media. As *Just the News* observed,
> “The missiles were part of a lengthy news cycle regarding the prospects of their handover, which could have enabled Ukraine to escalate its strikes on infrastructure in the Russian interior.”
However, the concern that Ukraine having and using these longer-range Tomahawk missiles might escalate the conflict between Ukraine and Russia persuaded President Trump to decline supplying the weapons. Yet, given the constant pounding Ukraine already endures from Russian long-range weapons, the conflict is effectively already escalating—albeit in Russia’s favor.
### Escalation Concerns Versus Reality on the Ground
Ironically, the argument of avoiding escalation was the same justification the Biden administration used when progressively supplying Ukraine with MIG-29 fighter jets, Patriot air defense missiles, M1-A1 Abrams tanks, and Army Tactical Missile Systems. These incremental military aids have not resulted in a ceasefire.
It is important to note that Russia shows no hesitation in using long-range weapons against Ukraine without regard for “escalating” the conflict. Without a corresponding Ukrainian capability to hold military targets and infrastructure deep inside Russia at risk, Kyiv’s forces remain at a significant disadvantage.
As *The New York Times* reported,
> “Mr. Trump expressed trepidation about providing Kyiv with the long-range Tomahawk missiles it is seeking, suggesting he first wanted to see Ukraine and Russia renew peace negotiations. ‘We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks,’ Mr. Trump said of Ukraine ahead of the private meeting.”
### The Missed Opportunity of Tomahawk Missiles
Threatening to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles should have prompted Putin to take peace talks seriously. Historically, such threats have often led Putin to request high-level meetings or calls with President Trump, generating short-term optimism about substantive follow-up talks to halt the fighting.
However, these talks tend only to allow Russia to reiterate unrealistic demands that Ukraine has firmly rejected.
Furthermore, publicly stating that the U.S. will not supply Ukraine with more capable Tomahawk missile systems effectively surrenders any negotiating advantage Ukraine might have had before formal negotiations begin.
The better strategy for the U.S. and Ukraine would have been to deploy the Tomahawk or similar longer-range weapons, demonstrating to Moscow the consequences of its continuous bombardment. In essence, it would have been giving Russia a dose of its own medicine.
As it stands, Russia will continue its long-range missile attacks on Ukraine, even as substantive talks about ending the war are beginning.
### Upcoming Diplomatic Developments
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to prepare for a potential Trump-Putin summit reportedly planned in Budapest, Hungary. No precise date has been announced, but reports suggest the meeting could happen within the next two weeks.
One hopes that this upcoming Budapest summit will yield more substantial progress than the August meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska.
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*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organization.*
https://www.libertynation.com/trump-meets-with-zelensky-no-to-tomahawk-missiles/