Putin-Trump call a curveball for Zelensky ahead of White House meeting

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky may have been bracing himself for a potential breakthrough with US President Donald Trump over Ukraine's desperate need for more military aid, but his hopes were dealt a significant blow when he learned of a phone call between the two leaders that had taken place just hours before. The call was said to be "very productive" according to Trump, and it has all but ruled out any possibility of the US providing Ukraine with the long-range Tomahawk missiles that Zelensky desperately needs to counter Russia's superior airpower.

Zelensky had been told by his advisors that he would be on the receiving end of a major concession from Trump, one that would put significant pressure on Putin and force him to back down. But what actually transpired has left Ukraine facing its fourth winter of war without the aid it so desperately needs.

The reason for this sudden U-turn is said to have been the phone call between Trump and Putin earlier in the day, during which they discussed trade agreements and a possible summit in Hungary that would take place within the next two weeks. While Trump initially vowed to support Ukraine's bid for NATO membership, he has since softened his stance on the issue.

Ukraine's people are bracing themselves for another long winter ahead, with temperatures set to drop sharply once more. The frontlines have been at an effective stalemate for months, resulting in huge losses of life but little territorial gain.

And then there is Russia, which seems to be feeling the effects of Ukraine's increasingly effective drone strikes on oil depots. Putin has made it clear that he views any further attacks as a "significant act of provocation", a sentiment echoed by Zelensky after the phone call.

However, analysts point out that Putin may have been trying to manipulate Trump into backing down from his tougher stance on Russia by using a classic game-changer tactic. The prospect of Ukraine acquiring Tomahawk missiles has always been one that would strain American patience but never break it, while the prospect of a summit without concessions is more likely to placate the US president.

With Zelensky still waiting for answers from Trump and Putin having hinted that his willingness to provide them was conditional upon Ukrainian cooperation in future conflicts, Ukraine's people will have to endure another gruelling winter ahead, one that promises to be even tougher than those that came before it.

Man... this is a tough spot for Ukraine . I feel bad for Zelensky and the people of Ukraine who are already struggling through their 4th winter of war . Trump's sudden U-turn on providing Tomahawk missiles is like, totally demoralizing . It makes you wonder if Ukraine's side has any real leverage in these negotiations .

I mean, I get it, trade agreements and a summit are important , but can't we find a way to support Ukraine without putting so much pressure on Putin? He's already under a lot of stress with Russia's sanctions and all that . It's like, how much more can they take?

And what's up with Trump's stance on NATO membership again? One day he's all in, the next day he's not so sure . It's like he's got some kind of contradictory filter in his brain or something . Anyway, Ukraine's gonna have to keep waiting for answers from Trump .

It's a really tough situation, and I hope someone can come up with a solution soon . In the meantime, those Ukrainian folks are just gonna have to bundle up and hunker down again .

just heard the news about trump & zelensky's phone call and i'm so frustrated! like, what's the point of having a call if it doesn't lead to anything concrete? ukraine needs those tomahawk missiles ASAP but now it looks like we're back to square one and those temperatures are gonna drop low again ukraine's people are already suffering so much, can't they just get some relief for once?

aww man... i feel so bad for ukraine they're already bracing themselves for their 4th winter of war and now it looks like trump's not gonna give them the tomahawk missiles they need can't imagine how tough that must be on zelensky & his people but i guess sometimes these things happen in politics... maybe there's still hope for a summit in hungary tho? fingers crossed it'll bring some positivity to the situation

u guys really think trump is gonna help zelensky out? lol no way, he just wants to placate putin and get some trade deals done meanwhile ukranians are stuck in the cold with no missiles to fight back i mean come on, how can u expect trump to provide military aid when putin is basically playing him like a fiddle zelensky's advisors must've been wrong about that major concession now it's just another long winter ahead with no end in sight

the way this is playing out is just devastating for ukraine... trump backing down on tomahawk missiles was a huge blow, i mean who needs 4 winters of war already? and now russia's just gonna keep poking its head in, like it doesn't care about human lives or whatever. Putin thinks he's got us all on a string with this summit thingy... but honestly, what's the point of having a meeting if no one's actually willing to make concessions? it feels like everyone's just playing politics as usual. anyway, my heart goes out to the ukrainian people who are facing another brutal winter ahead

I just read about the latest drama with Trump and Zelensky ... honestly, what's going on here? It feels like we're stuck in some kind of diplomatic chess game where everyone's making moves without thinking about the bigger picture.

You know what I've learned from this situation? The value of perseverance. Ukraine needs those Tomahawk missiles now, and it seems like Trump was just playing games with Zelensky's hopes. But here's the thing: if you don't keep pushing for what you need, someone else will come along and take it away from you.

It's all about being proactive and making demands, rather than waiting for others to make concessions. I mean, think about it... Putin was using the trade agreements and summit as a way to get Trump to back down, but that just means Ukraine has to be stronger than ever before.

So yeah, this whole thing is super frustrating, but at least we can learn from it. The takeaway for me is that you gotta keep pushing forward, even when things seem impossible. Otherwise, someone else will take advantage of your hesitation.

man this is so frustrating the us has been saying they're gonna help ukraine with more military aid but then trump just changes his mind again like what's going on over there in hungary too? Putin is playing both sides against each other which makes things even harder for zelensky and his ppl...i feel bad for them, another harsh winter ahead and still no major concession from the us

I gotta say, this whole thing is a mess . Trump being super flexible on the whole Tomahawk missiles thing, it just seems like more of the same old politics as usual... Putin's got the upper hand here, and Ukraine's stuck in the middle. I mean, what's next? Are we gonna start seeing a new summit just because it's convenient for Russia to hold one?

And let's not forget, Trump initially said he'd support Ukraine's bid for NATO membership, but that was just talk, right? He's all about finding common ground with Putin now... I'm not convinced. It's like the US is more interested in a deal than actually standing up to Russia.

I think Zelensky's advisors need to take a hard look at what's going on here and figure out how they can get Ukraine some real support without having to compromise too much. This phone call between Trump and Putin was just a way for Russia to get out of contributing anything meaningful to the conflict, IMO

so like what's going on with trump and zelensky? Trump just cancelled the missile deal for ukraine which is a bummer cuz they really need it to counter russia's airpower

i mean, its not like ukraine doesn't have enough problems already. the frontlines have been stalemate for months and ppl are struggling through multiple winters without aid

but you know what's even crazier? Putin thinks a summit is like a magic solution to everything just because trump is talking to him now, it doesn't mean russia will back down or anything

stats: ukraine's population has been impacted by the war for over 2 years (200k+ displaced), ukrainian economy has lost $15 billion since 2014

chart: ukrainian casualties have increased by 300% since the start of the conflict in 2014 (estimates vary)

I'm really bummed about this development . Trump's sudden change of heart on providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine is just devastating. I mean, think about it - Ukraine needs these missiles to counter Russia's superior airpower and yet they're being ruled out because of a phone call with Putin ? It just goes to show that sometimes politics can be really cruel.

I'm also worried about the implications of this summit in Hungary . If Trump is going to meet with Putin without any real concessions, it's just going to embolden Putin and make him even more aggressive towards Ukraine. And let's not forget, Ukraine's people are already bracing themselves for another harsh winter ahead .

I know some analysts think that Putin might have been trying to manipulate Trump into backing down, but I'm not so sure . Putin has a history of using these tactics and it just feels like he's getting away with murder. Ukraine needs real support from the US right now and this news just isn't delivering .

It's just heartbreaking to think about what Ukraine is going through - the loss of life, the displacement of people, the economic strain... it's all just so overwhelming . Can't we just get some real progress on this front already?

Russia is still winning this war Putin is like a bad habit nobody can shake the frontlines are so stale how many lives have we lost already? Zelensky needs Tomahawk missiles ASAP not another winter of waiting...this is taking a toll on ppl

man i cant believe this... zelensky is gonna face another harsh winter without the missiles he so desperately needs... trump and putin are at it again , playing games with each other while ukraine's people suffer . it's like they forgot that there's a war going on over here... i feel bad for the ukrainians who have been fighting for what feels like forever now . and to make matters worse, trump has softened his stance on nato membership... zelensky must be so disappointed . how much more can these ppl take?!