US President Donald Trump has informed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a tense meeting on Friday 17 October that he does not intend to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles, at least for now, as he considers diplomacy a priority.

Source : Axios; CNN citing sources familiar with the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

Details : Axios noted that Zelenskyy had hoped to leave Washington with promises of new weapons for Ukraine, but it turned out that Trump was in a very different mood the day after a lengthy phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

According to Axios sources, Trump made it clear that his priority at present is diplomacy and he believes that providing Tomahawks could undermine it.

One source said the meeting "was not easy", while another called it "bad".

Quote from one Axios source : "Nobody shouted, but Trump was tough."

Quote from another Axios source : "Trump gave several strong statements during the meeting and at some points it got a bit emotional."

Details : Axios added that the meeting had abruptly ended after two and a half hours.

"I think we're done. Let's see what happens next week," Trump said, referring to planned US-Russian negotiations.

In addition, one CNN source noted that Trump apparently feels Ukraine seeks escalation and prolongation of the war and he is concerned about potential losses during the upcoming harsh winter.

Previously: Zelenskyy also stated at the briefing that the Ukrainian and American sides had decided not to speak publicly about long-range systems for now, adding that the United States does not want escalation. In addition, he said that the "Russians are afraid of Tomahawks" as a combination of weapon systems that Kyiv could receive from the United States.

Background:

• On 17 October, a bilateral meeting in the format of an official lunch was held at the White House between Zelenskyy and Trump.
• It was earlier reported that one of the key topics of the conversation between the two leaders would be the possible provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
• Following his conversation with Putin on Thursday, Trump said that the Russian ruler "didn't like" the idea of Tomahawk missiles being supplied to Ukraine.
• Before the lunch, Zelenskyy said he would propose to the US president a deal to receive Tomahawk cruise missiles in exchange for Ukrainian drones.
• An Ukrainska Pravda source reported that the Ukrainian delegation presented their US counterparts with a map highlighting the "pain points" of Russia's defence industry and military economy during the bilateral lunch in Washington on 17 October.

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