Trump to Meet With Zelenskyy This Week as He Considers Tomahawk Missile Shipment

Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned earlier this month that the use of Tomahawk missiles would mark a “qualitatively new stage of escalation” by the U.S.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump

Mystyslav Chernov/AP

President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday as the United States considers approving a new weapons shipment to the war-torn nation.

The visit, previously reported by the Financial Times and confirmed this week by NBC News, comes one day after Trump warned Russia that he may send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles, which would put Moscow in reach of Ukrainian strikes, if it doesn’t settle the war soon. If approved, the shipment would be the first Tomahawk missiles provided to Ukraine since the conflict began.

“We may not, but we may do it. … Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.” Trump said on Sunday. “I think it’s appropriate to bring up – yeah, I want to. I want to see the war settled.”