Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not ruled out the possibility that he can secure long-range Tomahawk missiles from the US, adding that he believes “Putin is afraid” of the consequences.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News’s Meet the Press, Ukraine’s president discussed some of the details of his two-hour meeting with Donald Trump on Friday, including his desire for the weapons after three years of war with Russia.

“It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no’, but for today, didn’t say ‘yes’,” he said about the supply of the missiles, as part of a discussion which will air on Sunday.

Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy proposes ‘drone for Tomahawk’

He admitted the US president was concerned about a potential escalation with Russia, but Mr Zelenskyy told NBC, Sky News’s US partner, that the weapons are a genuine concern for Vladimir Putin.

“I think that Putin [is] afraid that United States will deliver us Tomahawks. And I think that he [is] really afraid that we will use them,” he said.

The weapons have a significantly longer range than any other missiles in Ukraine’s armoury and have the potential to be a game-changer in the war against Russia.

While Mr Trump did not rule out providing the Tomahawk missiles, he appeared cool to the prospect as he looked ahead to a meeting with the Russian president in Hungary in the coming weeks.

‘US doesn’t want escalation’

Following the meeting with Mr Trump, who held a phone call with Mr Putin on Thursday, Mr Zelenskyy told reporters: “We spoke about long-range (missiles) of course. And I do not want to make statements about it.”

But he added: “We don’t speak about it because… United States doesn’t want this escalation”.

Later in a post on X, Mr Zelenskyy said he was counting on President Trump to “bring this war closer to an end”.

“We discussed all key issues – our positions on the battlefield, long-range capabilities and air defence, and, of course, diplomatic prospects,” he said.

“Russia must end the aggression it started and continues to deliberately prolong. We count on the United States’ pressure.”

In a roundtable with journalists following the meeting, Mr Trump confirmed that hitting targets deep inside Russian territory would be an “escalation”.

He also said he was hesitant to tap into the US’ supply of Tomahawks, saying: “I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace.

“We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over to be honest.”

At Mr Trump and Mr Putin’s last meeting in Alaska in August, there were hopes that the conflict may finally be coming to an end.

But the US president was unable to pressure the Russian leader into accepting a ceasefire or a one-on-one meeting with Mr Zelenskyy.

Read more from Sky News:
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Following Friday’s meeting at the White House, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed he had called Mr Zelenskyy to reiterate his support.

Ukraine has UK’s ‘resolute support’

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to the president of Ukraine, European leaders and the NATO secretary general this evening following President Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House today.

“The leaders reiterated their unwavering commitment to Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression. A just and lasting peace for Ukraine was the only way to stop the killing for good, they agreed.

“Further discussions about how they could support Ukraine in the lead up to, and following, a ceasefire would continue this week, including in a Coalition of the Willing call on Friday, the leaders agreed.

“Following the call with world leaders this evening, the prime minister then spoke to President Zelenskyy bilaterally to underscore the United Kingdom’s resolute support for Ukraine.”

Before Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he hosted one of his favourite singers, Andrea Bocelli, in the Oval Office.

The Italian tenor serenaded him with the signature track Time To Say Goodbye, a song about hope and new beginnings.

But the next event on his agenda suggested antipathy between Trump and the Ukrainian president are firmly lodged in the past.

On the key issue of whether Vladimir Putin actually wants peace, the pair continue to fundamentally disagree.

Trump repeated several times his belief that Putin is committed to ending the war, which may come as a surprise to the people of eastern Ukraine, being pummeled by an expanded Russian offensive in the past few months.

Trump also spoke about “bad blood on both sides”, again inferring equal blame on Zelenskyy, whose sovereign nation was invaded, and Putin, who is doing the invading.

It’s in Putin’s gift to stop the fighting immediately, but that was glossed over.

Zelenskyy, clearly contorted by a need to put the record straight but not anger the famously mercurial man on the other side of the table, fired back that it is the Ukrainians who are committed to a ceasefire, a trilateral meeting and ultimately, an end to this war.

Ukraine war: Zelenskyy proposes ‘drone for Tomahawk’ deal

Relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have, obviously, improved from February when the Ukrainian president was berated and left the White House early.

On that occasion, he was mocked for wearing a T-shirt and so, the next two visits, he has sported an all black suit. He has also learned that Trump responds to flattery and, accordingly, he peppered the president with compliments.

He credited him with “managing the ceasefire in the Middle East”, and said he believes he has a “chance” to do the same in Ukraine.

Trump came into the meeting buoyed by the diplomatic success of the past fortnight in the Middle East, intoxicated by the praise he has received from all sides for brokering the hostage deal. But the war, he said he could solve in 24 hours, is proving a tougher nut to crack, and he’s growing frustrated with everyone involved.

That much could be gleaned from his Truth Social post after the meeting, which implored Putin and Zelenskyy to end the war along its current lines. “Let both claim Victory, let History decide!” he wrote.

Read more from Sky News:
Zelenskyy on US ‘long-range’ weapons
Putin faces difficult trip to summit
Trump’s ‘game of diplomatic chess’

It was a marked shift from less than a month ago, when Trump, at that point more angered by Putin, suggested Ukraine could potentially win back all its territory.

As recently as Sunday, he was threatening to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but he made clear after their meeting that he wouldn’t be doing that right now. It’s likely he will wait until at least after his trailed meeting with Putin in Budapest.

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I was in Alaska in August when Trump hosted Putin and laid out the literal and metaphorical red carpet for him.

The US president went in with two aims: to broker a ceasefire and a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. He left with neither and there is no public sign that Putin has shifted from his maximalist aims in Ukraine.

Even by Trump’s own measurement, the summit was a failure.

Yet he seems determined to take the Russian president at his word, granting him first a phone call ahead of the Zelenskyy visit to Washington DC and now another meeting.

Putin was first successful in getting Trump to hold off on more severe sanctions on Russia, which were crippling economically. Now he has, seemingly, played a role in persuading Trump to hold off on sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

The US president was asked by a journalist whether it was possible he was being played by Putin. He admitted it was possible but said he usually comes out of these things pretty well. Time will tell.

Donald Trump has ordered the release of former Republican politician George Santos, who was jailed for more than seven years on fraud and identity theft charges.

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” the US president posted on his social media platform.

He said he had “just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”

“Good luck George, have a great life!” Mr Trump added.

In April, the former New York representative was sentenced to 87 months after prosecutors said Santos preyed upon the campaign finance system and his own political party, donors and family members to line his own pockets.

His fall from grace came less than a year after he was elected to Congress in 2022. It had emerged he fabricated much of his life story, including his business credentials, education, sporting accolades and even his status as a Jewish man.

The decision to commute his sentence followed a public campaign calling for the US president to issue a pardon. A senior White House official said that “many people wrote to him about it”.

While behind bars, Santos published a letter via a local newspaper pleading to Mr Trump directly.

“Sir, I appeal to your sense of justice and humanity – the same qualities that have inspired millions of Americans to believe in you,” he wrote.

“I humbly ask that you consider the unusual pain and hardship of this environment and allow me the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community.”

Santos kept in solitary

Earlier this week, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene told Sky’s US partner NBC that she had been in contact with the Department of Justice and argued that his punishment was excessively harsh and he was being held in solitary confinement for his safety.

Although before he went to prison, Santos wrote on X, demanding “to be kept in solitary confinement for the entire duration” of his prison sentence.

Mr Trump’s post on Friday included accusations that Santos had been “mistreated” while in prison.

“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Mr Trump wrote.

Life story was fabricated

After becoming the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, Santos served less than a year before it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his life story.

On the campaign trail, Santos had claimed he was a successful business consultant with a sizable real estate portfolio.

But when his resume came under scrutiny, Santos eventually admitted he had never graduated from Baruch College – or been a standout player on the Manhattan college’s volleyball team, as he had claimed.

He wasn’t even Jewish but raised Catholic. Although Santos insisted he meant he was “Jew-ish” because his mother’s family had a Jewish background.

Read more:
Explainer: Who is George Santos?
Santos expelled from House
What is the US presidential pardon?

‘He stole millions’

But some have criticised the US president’s move. Republican Andrew Garbarino, who sits on the House Ethics Committee, said it is “not justice” for Santos to serve only a few months of his seven-year sentence.

Republican Nick LaLota, who represents a swing district in New York, said Santos “didn’t merely lie – he stole millions, defrauded an election”.

Mr Trump has been actively using his power to grant clemency in his second term.

On his first day in office, he pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol and a number of politicians, including Democrats.