President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks at the White House Friday, and afterward Trump took to social media to call for Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war.
The U.S. president signaled he’s not ready to agree to sell Kyiv a long-range missile system that the Ukrainians say they desperately need. In recent days, Trump had shown an openness to selling the long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that such a move would further strain the U.S.-Russian relationship.
Trump and Zelenskyy met one-on-one a day after Trump and Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict.
Zelenskyy cautiously responds to Trump’s call for Ukraine and Russia to end war now
Zelenskyy told reporters after the meeting that it is time for a ceasefire and negotiations. He appeared to stop short of embracing Trump’s call for an immediate end to the war and for the two sides to “stop where they are.”
“The president is right, we have to stop where we are, and then to speak,” Zelenskyy said.
Trump said again Friday that Putin and Zelenskyy feel hatred toward each other, making direct negotiations difficult.
“It’s not about feelings, to me or any other Ukrainian,” Zelenskyy said. “They attacked us, so they are an enemy for us. They don’t intend to stop. So they are an enemy. It is not about someone just hating someone else. Although, undoubtedly, we hate the enemy. Undoubtedly.”
