Zelensky hopes for Trump decision on Tomahawks tomorrow, his top aide tells Axios
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Zelensky (R) with his chief of staff Andriy Yermak in Warsaw in Jan. 2025. Photo: Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes his meeting with President Trump at the White House on Friday will lead to clear decisions from the U.S. about which weapons systems it's prepared to provide, Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak told Axios in an interview.
- "I think we need decisions that will help to change Putin's attitude that he is in a strong position. He needs to understand that with President Trump, it's impossible to play games," Yermak said.
Why it matters: Zelensky, who arrived in Washington on Thursday afternoon, has been very optimistic in recent days about his planned meeting with Trump and the president's willingness to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles.
- But shortly after he landed at Andrews Air Force Base, the Ukrainian president and his team were surprised to see Trump's announcement that he'd spoken to Vladimir Putin and agreed to meet him in Hungary — the least Ukraine-friendly country in the European Union.
Behind the scenes: In an interview on Wednesday night, Yermak told Axios that Trump invited Zelensky to the White House as a result of two phone calls they held a week ago.
- "Both calls were very good. The presidents understand each other. They immediately started to talk very concretely. The fact they agreed so fast to meet demonstrates that we are friends and partners," Yermak said.
- Yermak added that while both calls were held on a secure line, the two leaders wanted to discuss issues so sensitive they can only be addressed in person.
- "There are a lot of questions which are impossible to discuss by phone. Like about the situation in the front line. Like about our [military] plans and about how we and the American side see the next steps for the peace process," Yermak said.
- He added that Zelensky told Trump he's still ready to meet with Putin in any format and in any place in the world, other than in Russia or Belarus. Putin has repeatedly rejected such a meeting.
Zoom in: A key issue Zelensky wants to discuss with Trump is the expansion of the weapons systems the U.S. will agree to sell.
- At the top of Ukraine's wishlist are Tomahawk missiles. Kyiv is still awaiting a decision, and believes "such kind of weapons can be game changer," Yermak said.
- He stressed Ukraine needs the missiles to hit drone and missile factories deep inside Russian territory.
- But he also said Ukraine wants several other weapons systems that require U.S. approval. "We need a U.S. political decision that we will be able to buy any weapons which we need without any restrictions," Yermak said.
- He acknowledged that there had been delays in the scheme by which NATO countries buy U.S. weapons to send them to Ukraine, particularly when it comes to air defense systems.
Yes, but: Even if Trump agrees to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine, it's unclear how many missiles the U.S. can spare from its own stocks. There are also very few "Typhon" systems available, which Ukraine needs to launch the Tomahawks.
- U.S. and Ukrainian military experts also think that the U.S. is more likely to provide older models of Tomahawks that could be intercepted by Russian air defenses.
- But Zelensky has argued that simply having the missiles would be a powerful bargaining chip with Putin, who will have to contend with the idea that Moscow is within Ukraine's range.
- "We can already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks," Zelensky said on Thursday.
The other side: Putin raised Tomahawks in his call with Trump on Thursday, his foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
- He said Putin told Trump the Tomahawks wouldn't change the situation on the battlefield, but would harm U.S.-Russian relations and the peace process.
What to watch: Ukraine hopes that the EU will decide in the coming week to use more than $100 billion dollars in frozen Russian assets to finance purchases of weapons for Ukraine from U.S. defense companies, Yermak said.
- "We need more air defense. First of all, Patriot systems. We discussed also some kind of other weapons, which I prefer to not mention," Yermak said.
- During his visit to Washington, Zelensky is expected to meet with the CEOs of defense contractors Raytheon and Lockheed-Martin, as well as executives from U.S. energy companies.
- "As Russia is betting on terror against our energy sector and carrying out daily strikes, we are working to ensure Ukraine's resilience," he said.
The bottom line: During their phone calls last week, Zelensky told Trump that the deal to end the war in Gaza gives him hope for a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
- Yermak said Zelensky even told Trump that if he manages to end the war in Ukraine he will nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all Ukrainians.
- "The deal in Gaza demonstrated that Trump is the leader of the free world and that he is the one that can end the war in Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians and people all over Europe will be watch what happens in the White House on Friday," Yermak said.
