Trump and Putin's call. Zelenskyy links Russia's return to talks with Tomahawk

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has linked Russia's return to negotiations to the discussion of the transfer of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. This is stated in a post on the head of state's social media, published upon his arrival in the American capital of Washington, DC.

"We have a meeting with president Trump scheduled for tomorrow [October 17], and we expect that the momentum of curbing terror and war that has worked in the Middle East will help end Russia's war against Ukraine. Putin is certainly no braver than Hamas or any other terrorist. The language of strength and justice will definitely work with Russia. We can already see that Moscow is in a hurry to resume a dialogue as soon as it hears about the tomahawks," Zelenskyy said after a phone call between the US leader Donald Trump and the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

The president also noted that peace and reliable security should have no alternatives, and "it is important to protect lives from Russian strikes and assaults as soon as possible."

The head of state announced that on the first day of his visit to the United States, on the 16th, he would meet with representatives of defense companies: "These are manufacturers of strong weapons that can definitely strengthen our defense. In particular, we will talk about additional supplies of air defense systems."

Also, Zelenskyy added that he would meet with representatives of US energy companies.

"Now, when Russia is waging terror against our energy sector and strikes daily, we are working for Ukraine's resilience," the president said.

• On October 14, Trump announced that during a meeting at the White House on July 17, he would talk with president Zelenskyy, in particular, about the transfer of Tomahawk to Ukraine. This has been repeatedly opposed by the Kremlin, including Putin himself. The Ukrainian leader noted the fact that Moscow is afraid of supplying such weapons shows that such pressure can help end the war.
• On October 16, Trump held a call with Putin and announced a new meeting on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war in the Hungarian capital Budapest.
• The US president also said that he would discuss the call and "much more" at a meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House on October 17 (read more here).