Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country having deep strike capabilities may hold the key to peace. Zelenskyy made the comments after the White House said no meeting is expected between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Confirming the development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that a presidential meeting would require careful preparation and that no firm timetable had been set.
‘Russia became less interested in diplomacy’
But according to Zelenskyy, Russia became less interested in peace talks after the issue of long-range capabilities for Ukraine became less immediate.
“The greater Ukraine’s long-range reach, the greater Russia’s willingness to end the war. These weeks reaffirmed it,” Zelenskyy said further.
‘Tomahawks forced Russia to diplomacy’
The Ukrainian leader further said his country will continue engaging with Europeans and Americans on long-range capabilities.
“Discussion on Tomahawks turned out to be a major investment in diplomacy – we forced Russia to reveal that Tomahawks are the card they take seriously. We will continue engaging with Europeans and Americans on long-range capabilities,” he said.
The greater Ukraine’s long-range reach, the greater Russia’s willingness to end the war. These weeks reaffirmed it. Discussion on Tomahawks turned out to be a major investment in diplomacy – we forced Russia to reveal that Tomahawks are the card they take seriously. We will…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 21, 2025
Trump backed out of selling Tomahawks to Ukraine
Last week, Trump, who spoke to Putin ahead of his White House meeting with Zelenskyy, had announced his intention to meet the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, in the near future.
Zelenskyy has been trying to strengthen Ukraine’s position by seeking long-range Tomahawk missiles from the US, although Trump has waffled on whether he would provide them. “We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a Telegram post.
He noted that Putin returned to diplomacy and called Trump last week when it looked like Tomahawk missiles were a possibility. But “as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue,” Zelenskyy said.
How Trump changed his positions on Russia-Ukraine war
Trump has remained inconsistent on his stance on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
He initially focused on pressuring Ukraine to make concessions, but then grew frustrated with Putin’s intransigence. Trump often complains that he thought his good relationship with his Russian counterpart would have made it easier to end the war.
Last month, Trump reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to give up land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. But after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” in the more than three-year war.
On Sunday, Trump said the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be “cut up,” leaving most of it in Russian hands. Trump said Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, he’s now doubtful it will happen.
European reaction
The decision to hold off on a meeting between Trump and Putin will likely relieve European leaders, who have accused Putin of stalling for time with diplomacy while trying to gain ground on the battlefield. The leaders — including the British prime minister, French president and German chancellor — said they opposed any push to make Ukraine surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Trump has occasionally suggested.
Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Trump on their side.
“We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the leaders’ statement said. “We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction.”
