(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to leave a recent White House meeting without a firm commitment from US President Donald Trump regarding the delivery of the much-requested Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Following their cordial discussion, Zelensky revealed that long-range missile supplies were discussed but refrained from making definitive statements, noting that “the United States does not want an escalation.” Shortly after, Trump took to social media urging both Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and bring an end to the ongoing conflict.

This meeting came just a day after Trump had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they agreed to schedule an in-person summit in Hungary soon.

Zelensky sees the potential deployment of Tomahawks targeting Russian oil and energy infrastructure as a critical way to undermine Putin’s war economy. While Trump did not dismiss the idea outright, his comments at the White House were notably non-committal.

“Hopefully they won't need it, hopefully we'll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks,” Trump stated, adding that the US needed to retain these weapons. He acknowledged that sending such missiles would represent “an escalation,” but emphasized that discussions on the matter would continue.

When asked whether the prospect of Tomahawks influenced Putin’s willingness to meet Trump, the US president responded, “The threat of that [the missiles] is good, but the threat of that is always there.”

During the meeting, Zelensky suggested Ukraine could provide drones in exchange for Tomahawks, prompting visible approval from Trump. Zelensky also praised Trump’s role in brokering the first phase of a Middle East peace deal, hinting that the US leader could leverage that experience to help resolve the war in Ukraine.

Afterwards, Zelensky was questioned about whether Putin was sincere about pursuing a deal or simply buying time with the upcoming Hungary meeting. He responded, “I don't know,” adding that the possibility of Ukraine acquiring Tomahawks has made Russia “afraid because it is a strong weapon.”

When asked if he felt more optimistic about receiving the missiles after the meeting, Zelensky answered, “I am realistic.”

In a social media post, Zelensky mentioned that he had briefed European leaders about his discussion with Trump, emphasizing that the current priority is “to protect as many lives as possible, guarantee security for Ukraine, and strengthen all of us in Europe.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the call with European leaders as “productive” and assured continued UK support in terms of humanitarian aid and military assistance.

In recent days, Trump had shown some openness toward supplying Tomahawks, despite warnings from Putin that such a move would further damage US-Russian relations.

On Thursday, Trump described his phone call with Putin as “great progress,” confirming their plan for a face-to-face meeting in Hungary. When asked if Zelensky would be part of those talks, Trump noted lingering tensions between Putin and the Ukrainian president, stating, “We want to make it comfortable for everybody.” He suggested the leaders might meet together or separately but emphasized that “the three leaders have to get together.”

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