Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a potential trade of Ukrainian drones for US Tomahawk cruise missiles during his White House visit with President Donald Trump.
Zelensky stated that Kyiv needs the Tomahawks and suggested that Ukraine has thousands of domestically produced drones that the US could take in exchange for the long-range missiles, saying, “Ukraine has thousands of our production drones but we don’t have Tomahawks. That’s why we need Tomahawks… They (US) can have our thousands of drones, that’s where we can work together.”
US President Donald Trump expressed hesitancy about the proposal, indicating that the US needs the Tomahawk weapon for its own stockpiles.
At the start of their working lunch, he said, “Hopefully they won’t need it, hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks,” and later added that he has “an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country… We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too.”
Regarding a peace settlement, President Trump stopped short of offering a definitive view on whether Ukraine would need to cede territory to Russia to end the war.
When asked about the possibility, Trump simply replied, “You never know… War is very interesting. You never know. You just never know with war, war and peace, but you never know.” This non-committal answer follows a series of shifting public opinions from Trump on the matter.
Prior to a previous meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he had suggested “land swaps” might be necessary, but he later changed his mind, saying he believed Ukraine could win back all occupied territory. His latest statement suggests he is waiting to see how negotiations progress before stating a firm viewpoint on territorial concessions.
