Trump is scheduled to meet Zelensky in Washington on Friday

US President Donald Trump will welcome his Ukrainian counterpart to Washington on Friday for talks on how to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, including the possibility of supplying Kiev with US-made Tomahawk missiles.

It will be Volodymyr Zelensky’s third meeting with the US President at the White House since Trump returned to office in January.

Trump and Zelensky held phone calls over the weekend, during which they discussed the possibility of NATO allies purchasing Tomahawk missiles for Kiev — a long-range weapon that would expand Ukraine’s strike capability into Moscow and beyond — and how to put an end to Russia’s full-scale war.

Tomahawk missiles have been at the top of Ukraine’s weapons wishlist since the early days of Russia’s all-out invasion in 2022.

Trump has said he is considering selling an unspecified number of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but needs to hear more about how Kiev plans to use them, two people familiar with the president’s calls told the Financial Times.

Zelensky confirmed the upcoming meeting with Trump on Monday evening.

He said he shared Trump’s “vision” about how many Tomahawk missiles Ukraine would need.

A Ukrainian official said that Kiev believes that Trump is closer than ever to supplying missiles, but warned that the US President was clear that he had not yet made a decision.

Although Trump and Zelensky clashed violently in the Oval Office in February, relations between the two improved significantly over the summer, as the US president became increasingly frustrated with Putin’s refusal to end sanctions. War in Ukraine.

People familiar with Trump’s discussions with Zelensky said his change of heart stems from growing frustration with Putin.

Sunday, Trump told reporters The United States may send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Putin does not reach a settlement.

“I might say, ‘Look, if this war doesn’t get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawk missiles,’” Trump said, adding that he wanted to talk to Putin before making a decision.

“The tomahawk is an incredible weapon, a very offensive weapon. And frankly, Russia doesn’t need that.”

Putin had previously warned the United States against supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, saying that this would be a major escalation between Washington and Moscow.

If Trump decides to sell weapons to NATO allies who will then give them to Ukraine, it would represent the most significant military support by the US president, and a stark contrast to his previous position.

Since late summer, Trump’s intelligence agencies have quietly aided Ukrainian drone and long-range missile strikes on Russian energy facilities deep inside Russia. The Financial Times reported Sunday.

Tomahawk missiles are cruise missiles used primarily by the US Navy to attack deep underground. It is launched from ships or submarines, and has a range of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles).

Mark Cancian, a former Pentagon official who now works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, estimated at one recent war game that the United States had a total of 4,150 Tomahawk missiles.

However, the United States may be able to supply only a little to Ukraine. This is in light of the fact that out of the 200 aircraft purchased by the Pentagon since 2022, it has already launched more than 120, according to defense experts. The Defense Department requested funding for just 57 additional Tomahawk missiles in its 2026 budget.

Washington may also need Tomahawk missiles in any strike on Venezuelan territory.

Washington could provide 20 to 50 Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, “which would not decisively change the dynamics of the war,” said Stacey Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security think tank.

They added that while the long-range missiles could complement Ukrainian long-range attack drones and cruise missiles “in large complex salvoes to greater effect,” they “would remain a very limited capability…certainly not sufficient to enable sustained, deep attacks against Russia.”

The Pentagon declined to comment on the number of Tomahawk aircraft it has.

In a speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday, Trump urged his special envoy Steve Witkopf, who has participated in diplomatic talks in the Middle East and Russia, to turn his attention to ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump and Zelensky last met at the White House in August, after the US President’s summit with Putin in Alaska.

Zelensky at the time promised to buy nearly $100 billion in American weapons, with funding from Europe, in an attempt to obtain American guarantees for his post-war security, according to a document. Seen by FT.

A Ukrainian delegation led by Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko was on its way to Washington on Monday for a week of discussions with their American counterparts, starting on Tuesday.

“We are heading for high-level talks to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, secure our energy resilience, and intensify sanctions pressure on the aggressor,” Yermak said in statements to Channel X.