Zelensky visibly shocked at reporter's question; Trump meeting starts on awkward note

President Donald Trump on Friday hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks at the White House

Published on: Oct 17, 2025, 23:57:05 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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President Donald Trump on Friday hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks at the White House. This came after Trump signalled that he is not willing to sell a long-range missile system to Kyiv. The 79-year-old also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the end of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky listens as President Donald Trump speaks before a lunch in the Cabinet Room (AP)

However, social media users pointed out several ‘awkward’ moments during Zelensky's visit. Some said that the Ukrainian president was received by his own official, Andrii Yermak, and the flight crew upon his arrival in Washington, DC. No top-tier American diplomat was at the tarmac.

Later, during his meeting with Trump, Zelensky faced a direct question about concessions for Putin.

“What specific concessions are you willing to make to make to end this war with Russia? Will you give up on joining NATO? Americans have foreign war fatigue, and as our president said, we need our Tomahawks too,” the reporter asked.

Zelesnky looked surprised. At the start of the talks, the Ukrainian President congratulated Trump over landing last week’s ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and said Trump now has “momentum” to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“President Trump now has a big chance to finish this war,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky also suggested he had come with a “proposition” in which Ukraine could provide the United States with its advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv the long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Trump said he believed Ukraine was manufacturing “very good” drones but expressed reluctance about tapping into the U.S. Tomahawk supply.

“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,” Trump said.

“We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too,” Trump said. “We have a lot of them, but we need them. I mean we can’t deplete our country.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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