Trump praised Zelensky's jacket and spoke about Tomahawks. The main thing about the meeting at the White House

US President Donald Trump received Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at the White House. Their negotiations began with another praise for the suit in which the President of Ukraine arrived at the meeting. In response to questions from reporters, Trump said he would like to end the conflict without using long-range Tomahawk missiles, but noted that the issue of their transfer to the Ukrainian army would still be discussed. How the meeting of the two presidents in Washington went is in the Izvestia article.

Zelensky's arrival

Zelensky arrived in the United States on October 16, the day before his meeting with Trump at the White House. When the President of Ukraine walked down the plane, he did not receive a proper reception from the current American administration. Zelensky was met by his head of office, Andriy Ermak, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanyshina, and the flight crew.

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Before the conversation with Zelensky, the US president called the Russian leader to check his watch.

• In anticipation of meeting with Trump, Zelensky held talks with representatives of arms manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. He spoke about Ukraine's needs for air defense systems, missiles for them, and F-16 fighter jets. Zelensky also held talks with US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and heads of American energy companies before his visit to the White House. They discussed the support of the Ukrainian energy system.

Arrival at the White House

• Zelensky's arrival at the White House for a meeting with Trump was scheduled for 13:00 local time (20:00 Moscow time). However, the motorcade of the Ukrainian president, for which the center of Washington was blocked, was delayed for about half an hour. The hitch could have been caused by the fact that earlier in the day, the US president hosted Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, and had not yet been released at the time scheduled for a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart. Trump himself went out on the porch to meet Zelensky, shook his hand and offered to take a brief look at the journalists. Showing them his clenched fist, Trump invited the Ukrainian leader to come inside.

• A few minutes later, the journalists were ushered into the dining room, where Trump and Zelensky sat across the table from each other. The US president was accompanied by a number of officials, including Vice President Jay Dee Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant.

• Both Trump and Zelensky said a few words, sharing their expectations for the meeting, which will take place behind closed doors. Before the two presidents moved on to answer questions from the journalists gathered around, Trump separately praised Zelensky's jacket, saying that he was very stylish and liked it.

What did Trump and Zelensky talk about?

• The first question to Trump was whether the United States would allow Ukraine to launch long-range strikes on Russian territory. The head of the White House said that this would be the subject of discussion, but at the same time noted that such a step would be a noticeable escalation of the conflict. Then Trump spoke about the upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary. He noted that the talks would be bilateral, but Trump would be in touch with Zelensky. Sharing expectations from the summit, Trump assured that Putin wants an end to the conflict in Ukraine, and Zelensky wants the same thing, so "now we need to do it."

• One of the reporters asked Trump who was better at negotiating, and the US president cautiously replied that Putin and Zelensky were "both doing a great job." He noted that the resolution of the conflict had previously been prevented by "huge hostility." Trump also refrained from giving a direct answer to the question of Ukraine's territorial concessions, making it clear that this issue should be resolved through negotiations.

• During a session with reporters, the topic of long-range Tomahawk missiles, which Zelensky wants to receive from the United States to launch attacks on Russian territory, was raised. Trump said the issue would be discussed. But he also noted that it is better to end the conflict without using these shells, and now the United States is "pretty close to this." Trump pointed out that the American army itself needs Tomahawks in case it finds itself involved in another military conflict.