Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with his American counterpart Donald Trump at the White House, said that his request to immediately receive long-range "Tomahawk" cruise missiles was not accepted.
In an interview with NBC, the Ukrainian leader did not give a specific reason why Ukraine's request for "Tomahawk" missiles was rejected at this stage, but pointed out that President Trump had stated that the move would not coincide with "America's interests".
"It is very difficult to act only with Ukrainian drones. We need long-range Tomahawks, and the United States has them," Zelensky said.
After the meeting between the two, Trump told reporters that it was "not easy" for the United States to provide the missiles, which have a range of more than 2,000 kilometers, adding that "we hope we can end the war without thinking about the Tomahawks." Trump said he had told Kiev and Moscow to "stop where they are" and cease hostilities immediately.
"In my opinion, they should stop the war immediately. Stop on the front line, wherever it is. Both sides should go home. Go to their families, stop the killing. And that should be it. I told President Zelensky, I told President Putin".
Stopping the war between the two neighboring countries has become a top priority for the US administration after the president successfully brokered a ceasefire in another major regional conflict - that between Israel and the Palestinian group "Hamas". Earlier, the US head of state announced that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital Budapest to discuss the war in Ukraine. The news came after a long telephone conversation between the two, which Trump described as "very productive". American media noted that this was a softening of the tone towards Moscow, as just days earlier Trump had been much tougher on the Russian leadership.
However, Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that Washington's refusal to provide "Tomahawk" missiles was not long-term.