Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday he has a “proposal” for President Donald Trump to trade drone capabilities for American high-precision Tomahawk long-range missiles.
“If you want to achieve a military objective, you need thousands of drones,” Zelenskyy said, noting that a single military capability will not win in a technology-driven war.
“Ukraine has thousands of drones, but we don’t have Tomahawks. That’s why we need Tomahawks,” Zelenskyy said. “The United States has Tomahawks and other missiles, very powerful missiles, but they can also have our thousands of drones.
TRUMP SAYS ‘GREAT BAD BLOOD’ BETWEEN ZELENSKYY AND PUTIN DELAYES PEACE DEAL DESPITE MOMENTUM IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, October 17, 2025. (Tom Brenner/AFP via Getty Images)
“That’s where we can work together,” he added.
When pressed by reporters whether he would be “interested” in striking a drone deal with Ukraine, Trump said, “Yes, we would.”
“We have a lot of drones right now. We build our own drones, but we also buy drones from others, and they make very good drones,” Trump added.
TRUMP MEETS ZELENSKYY AS UKRAINE PUSHES POWERFUL US TOMAHAWK MISSILES AMID ONGOING WAR
The president acknowledged that it would be an “escalation” if Ukraine were to receive the advanced missiles that could hit beyond Moscow.
“Tomahawks are a big problem,” Trump said, adding that he also has an “obligation” to ensure the US is “fully supplied” with its defensive needs.
“Because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace, right? You never know what’s going to happen,” Trump said.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, DC, October 17, 2025. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
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It seemed unlikely that Trump agreed to give Zelenskyy Tomahawks on Friday, saying he would prefer to see an end to the war.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet in person in Hungary on Thursday, although no date has yet been set.
Zelenskyy is unlikely to attend that meeting.
