Ukrainian president to push Trump for Tomahawk missiles, top aide says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to push for key US weapons systems—especially long-range Tomahawk missiles—during his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on October 17.

Speaking to Axios, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said Ukraine needs clear decisions that can shift Russian President Vladimir Putin’s perception of strength.

“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 stated.

Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on October 16 optimistic about US support. However, his team was surprised by Trump’s announcement that he had spoken to Putin and agreed to meet him in Hungary—widely seen as the least Ukraine-friendly EU country.

Yermak said the meeting with Trump was arranged after two recent phone calls. “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,” he said.

Yermak noted that some topics, including frontline developments and peace strategy, are too sensitive to discuss over the phone. “There are a lot of questions which are impossible to discuss by phone,” he added.

Top of Ukraine’s wishlist are Tomahawk missiles, which Kyiv believes could be a "game changer." Yermak emphasized their importance for striking missile and drone factories deep inside Russian territory. “We need a US political decision that we will be able to buy any weapons which we need without any restrictions,” he said.

While the Biden administration has expressed concern over stockpiles and the limited availability of Typhon launch systems, Zelenskyy argued that having the missiles would give Ukraine leverage. “We can already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks,” he noted.

Yermak also revealed that Zelenskyy plans to meet with US defence industry leaders and hopes the EU will release $100 billion in frozen Russian assets to fund arms purchases.

“If Trump ends this war, we will nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Yermak said.

By Vafa Guliyeva