Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Washington on Friday to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and members of Congress in a high-stakes effort to secure continued American support as Ukraine’s battlefield position deteriorates.
Announcing the trip at a joint press conference with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas on Monday, Zelensky stated that his discussions with Trump would focus on “a series of steps” aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses, enhancing long-range strike capabilities, and “pressuring Russia toward peace.”
During the visit, Zelensky will also meet with executives from leading American defense and energy companies, as well as key members of Congress. A Ukrainian delegation—including Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov—has already departed for Washington. The group is expected to lobby U.S. lawmakers to release frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, a move long sought by Kiev to fund its war effort.
The visit follows renewed speculation that the Trump administration is considering supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have the range to reach deep into Russian territory, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
While traveling aboard Air Force One to the Middle East on Sunday, Trump struck a cautious but ambiguous tone when pressed by reporters on the issue. “The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon—very offensive weapon,” Trump said. “Russia doesn’t need that. But I might say, if this war isn’t going to get settled, we may send them Tomahawks. We may not, but we may do it. I think it’s appropriate to bring up.”
As Trump enters his tenth month in office, he continues to balance his stated goal of ending the war with the political and strategic realities of maintaining U.S. support for Ukraine. Some analysts have suggested Trump’s hints at arming Kiev with Tomahawks may be intended as a bluff to pressure Russia into negotiations—one that could prove risky if misinterpreted in Moscow.