President Zelensky walked into the Oval Office on Friday, expecting to find a long-awaited lifeline for his battered country. Instead, he found himself having to explain why US President Donald Trump's willingness to arm Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles was looking increasingly uncertain.
It was a surprise twist in the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has seen dozens of missile strikes and over 300 drone attacks on multiple targets in the past 24 hours alone. The scale of destruction is growing, with civilian infrastructure being targeted and the country's gas supply network severely disrupted.
For Zelensky, who met Trump in Washington just a day earlier, the news was a curveball. The Ukrainian president had been optimistic about Trump's willingness to back Ukraine with more military assistance. He believed that after their meeting, which took place while he was en route to Washington, he might have finally found a way out of his desperate situation.
However, in a surprise twist, it appears the US President has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin over Ukraine. On Sunday, Trump told reporters: "Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so." It seems that any hope for Ukrainian military assistance is now under threat.
The issue of long-range missiles remains contentious between Russia and the United States, however. In a phone call with Putin last night, Trump agreed to meet Putin in person over Ukraine - but at whose behest was the discussion held?
As one woman who has been badly injured by Russian strikes on civilian railway carriages put it when we asked if she saw an easy way out: "A person like Putin can't be trusted."
It was a surprise twist in the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has seen dozens of missile strikes and over 300 drone attacks on multiple targets in the past 24 hours alone. The scale of destruction is growing, with civilian infrastructure being targeted and the country's gas supply network severely disrupted.
For Zelensky, who met Trump in Washington just a day earlier, the news was a curveball. The Ukrainian president had been optimistic about Trump's willingness to back Ukraine with more military assistance. He believed that after their meeting, which took place while he was en route to Washington, he might have finally found a way out of his desperate situation.
However, in a surprise twist, it appears the US President has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin over Ukraine. On Sunday, Trump told reporters: "Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so." It seems that any hope for Ukrainian military assistance is now under threat.
The issue of long-range missiles remains contentious between Russia and the United States, however. In a phone call with Putin last night, Trump agreed to meet Putin in person over Ukraine - but at whose behest was the discussion held?
As one woman who has been badly injured by Russian strikes on civilian railway carriages put it when we asked if she saw an easy way out: "A person like Putin can't be trusted."
Can you believe this?! 
US President Donald Trump is now questioning whether Russia wants to get bombed with Tomahawks lol. Meanwhile, Ukraine's situation is getting worse by the minute 
. Did he just give away on Ukrainian military assistance? 
I mean, 300+ drone attacks in 24 hours? That's not even a drill 
.
It's been increasing by 30% every month! We need to get a handle on this ASAP 
.
The uncertainty is killing me 
This is a human crisis, not a game of politics 
i cant believe trump is being pulled in 2 different directions over ukraine its like hes not even taking a clear stance on the whole thing or is he just playing both sides to get something out of it? 
and what about all those ppl who are getting hurt & killed every day because of this conflict? its just heartbreaking. i dont know how much more of this we can take 
.
. Can't we all just... be better? 
it's like the world is watching as millions of innocent people suffer in silence. I mean, what even is Trump playing at? 
.
Meanwhile, Trump's comments about Putin's willingness to accept Tomahawk strikes are straight up confusing. 
I mean, we can't trust Putin with our lives, but what about Trump? Can we trust him at all? 
.
. I guess we're just gonna have to keep an eye on it and hope for the best 
.
And can we talk about how unstable this is all making Ukraine? I mean, they just want to be able to live their lives without being blown up by missiles, right? 
to me.
. And can we please get some clarity on who exactly was behind that phone call with Putin? Was it Trump or someone else? 
. I mean, they were really counting on some solid support from the US and now it's all up in the air 
. Trump's like "do Russia want missiles?"... that's not exactly reassuring, you know? 
. And what's going on with the phone call between him and Putin, was that even a good idea? 
. Like, how can Putin be trusted at all when innocent civilians are getting hurt 
. Like, what's going on with this situation?! One minute they're getting military assistance from the US and the next thing you know, it's being pulled back? 
The fact that Putin is still targeting civilians and Ukraine's gas supply network is just heartbreaking 
. And poor Zelensky, he was really counting on Trump to have his back 
. I'm sending all my positive vibes to the Ukrainian people and hoping for a peaceful resolution soon