(Washington) Donald Trump, who displays a newfound closeness with Vladimir Putin, refused to commit on Friday to Volodymyr Zelensky, who came to the White House to ask for Tomahawk missiles to strengthen the Ukrainian army against Russian forces.
“I hope they don’t need it.” I hope we can end the war without having to think about the Tomahawks,” the American president told the press, sitting opposite his Ukrainian counterpart, around a large table set for lunch.
In February, Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House prematurely, after being publicly bullied by Donald Trump and without participating in the planned meal.
It was in a relaxed atmosphere that the two men sat down this time, with their teams, around a menu of roast chicken and salad, but the Ukrainian head of state risks remaining unsatisfied regarding his most pressing request.
PHOTO TOM BRENNER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky facing Donald Trump and his team
“We need Tomahawk,” he told Donald Trump, about these missiles with a range of 1,600 kilometers that would allow Ukraine to strike deep and into Russia, proposing an exchange with “thousands” of Ukrainian drones.
Putin “not ready” for peace
Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian president was “not ready” for peace, but Donald Trump argued the opposite.
“I think President Putin wants to end the war,” said the American president, who had a long conversation with the master of the Kremlin on Thursday.
The latter took the opportunity to warn that the delivery of Tomahawk to Ukraine would “considerably harm” the relationship between Washington and Moscow.
PHOTO ARCHIVES REUTERS/KENNETH MOLL
Tomahawk missile launched from US warship
The Russian and American leaders agreed to meet soon in Budapest, Hungary, during this meeting described as “very productive” on the American side, “extremely frank and full of trust” on the Russian side.
Donald Trump considered it “possible” that Vladimir Putin was trying to play for time with this summit, in response to a question from an AFP journalist, but he also said: “Throughout my life, the best have tried to play with me. And I did really well. »
Russia, as winter enters, is intensifying its attacks on enemy energy infrastructure. On Friday, it also claimed the capture of three Ukrainian villages in the regions of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk (East).
“Very generous”
In this context, the American president’s newfound proximity to Vladimir Putin is cause for concern in Kyiv, especially since Donald Trump gave a very positive account of his meeting the day before with his Russian counterpart to Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
He said he discussed the ceasefire in Gaza with him, in which he played a mediating role.
“Vladimir Putin thinks it’s incredible. He was very generous,” said the American president, always sensitive to compliments regarding his peacemaking efforts.
The New York billionaire also had kind words for Volodymyr Zelensky: “It is an honor to be with a very strong leader, a man who has suffered a lot and a man whom I have come to know well. »
“I like solving wars,” said Donald Trump, who claims to have ended eight conflicts since his return to power, a figure that experts consider very exaggerated.
Alaska
His last summit with Vladimir Putin, on August 15 in Alaska, ended without any concrete prospect of peace.
PHOTO DREW ANGERER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, during the bilateral summit last August
This failure temporarily irritated Donald Trump, who subsequently said he was “very disappointed” by his Russian counterpart and who even estimated at one point that Russia could lose the war.
However, the American president has not carried out his threats of heavy sanctions against Moscow.
Upon his return to power in January, Donald Trump broke the isolation in which Western powers had maintained Moscow since the Russian invasion of February 2022 and called into question the military aid granted to Ukraine by his predecessor Joe Biden.
