Trump Speaks With Putin, Will Meet Him Again in Budapest/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Trump held a lengthy call with Vladimir Putin as he weighs Ukraine’s request for long‑range Tomahawk missiles. He plans to meet Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Friday to discuss the proposal. The push for deeper-strike capabilities is part of Trump’s strategy to pressure Moscow toward negotiations. Trump said Thursday he will meet again with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. A date has not been set, but Trump wrote on social media that the meeting would take place in Budapest, Hungary.
Trump Speaks With Putin Over Ukraine Missiles: Quick Look
- Trump confirmed a “lengthy” call with Vladimir Putin Thursday.
- The call preceded Trump’s upcoming White House meeting with Zelenskyy.
- Zelenskyy is lobbying for U.S. Tomahawk missiles to pressure Moscow.
- Trump believes supplying long-range weapons could bring Russia to the table.
- Putin warned providing Tomahawks would cross a red line.
- Analysts say such a move is as political as it is strategic.
- Trump is also reviewing new economic sanctions targeting Russian exports.
- A Senate bill awaits his backing to move forward on penalties.
- India reportedly agreed to reduce Russian oil imports under U.S. pressure.
- Trump says ending the Ukraine war is his top foreign policy priority.
Deep Look: Trump-Putin Call Centers on Ukraine’s Push for Long-Range Missiles
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump revealed Thursday that he was on a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a pivotal moment in what could become a significant shift in U.S. military support for Ukraine. The announcement came via Trump’s Truth Social account just hours before a scheduled meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he will meet again with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. A date has not been set, but Trump wrote on social media that the meeting would take place in Budapest, Hungary.
“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump wrote after talking to Putin. They previously met in Alaska in August, which did not produce a diplomatic breakthrough.
Before Trump and Putin meet, U.S. officials led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio will sit down with Russian representatives next week. It’s unclear where that meeting will take place.
At the heart of the conversation: Ukraine’s push for long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. These weapons, capable of striking nearly 1,000 miles, would allow Ukraine to penetrate deep into Russian-held territory — a strategic boost that Kyiv believes would force Moscow to take negotiations more seriously.
Zelenskyy has been urging the U.S. to provide the Tomahawk missiles for months. In Friday’s meeting with Trump — their fourth this year — he is expected to reiterate Ukraine’s need for deeper-strike capabilities and stronger sanctions against Moscow’s economy.
Trump Turns to Russia After Gaza Ceasefire
Trump’s renewed focus on Ukraine follows progress in the Middle East, where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has temporarily halted hostilities. Trump has suggested that resolution laid the groundwork for a broader diplomatic push.
“Interestingly we made progress today, because of what’s happened in the Middle East,” Trump said Wednesday at a dinner event. “Now we have to get Russia done.”
During a speech in Jerusalem earlier this week, Trump made it clear: ending Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II is now his top international priority. He even directed his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to prioritize Russia over other negotiations.
Weighing the Tomahawk Option
The sale of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would be a bold and controversial move. Despite the clear military advantages — the missile has a range of 995 miles, far beyond the ERAM and ATACMS currently in Kyiv’s arsenal — it comes with significant geopolitical risk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has explicitly warned that arming Ukraine with Tomahawks would escalate tensions between Moscow and Washington. But Trump appears undeterred.
“He’d like to have Tomahawks,” Trump said of Zelenskyy on Tuesday. “We have a lot of Tomahawks.”
Still, experts note that integrating Tomahawks into Ukraine’s military could take years. Mark Montgomery, a defense analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said shorter-term solutions like Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) and ATACMS may yield more immediate battlefield advantages.
“The ERAM is shorter range,” Montgomery said, “but it can disrupt Russian logistics and command centers near the front lines. That makes it operationally effective.”
Sanctions Strategy in the Pipeline
As military options are weighed, Trump is also facing renewed calls from Ukraine to ratchet up economic pressure on Russia.
A bipartisan bill in the Senate — introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) — would impose stiff tariffs on nations importing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other resources. The legislation, currently in limbo, needs Trump’s blessing to advance.
While the president hasn’t formally endorsed the sanctions package, sources say White House officials are actively editing the proposal behind closed doors. That has fueled speculation that Trump could soon back the legislation as part of a broader strategy to weaken Russia’s wartime economy.
In parallel, Trump announced that India — a top buyer of Russian crude since the Ukraine invasion — has agreed to scale back its imports. The move adds weight to Trump’s argument that economic leverage can achieve what diplomacy alone has failed to do.
European Buy-In Still Lacking
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged that any new sanctions would be more effective if implemented in concert with European allies. Speaking Wednesday, Bessent stressed the urgency of coordinated action.
“All I hear from the Europeans is that Putin is coming to Warsaw,” Bessent said. “There are very few things I’m sure about. I’m sure he’s not coming to Boston.”
High-Stakes Diplomacy Ahead
The next 24 hours could prove critical. Trump’s upcoming meeting with Zelenskyy will test whether Washington is ready to escalate its support for Ukraine beyond existing limits — and whether Russia will respond diplomatically or escalate further.
As Trump positions himself as the only leader capable of brokering peace, critics remain skeptical, citing his past struggles to extract concessions from Putin. Still, the former president believes the geopolitical moment — post-Gaza ceasefire and deepening war fatigue — offers a rare window for diplomatic breakthrough.
“This is already many steps above what I promised,” Trump said. “And we’re just getting started.”
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