Donald Trump To Speak To Putin Ahead Of Zelenskyy's Washington Visit

Last Updated:October 16, 2025, 20:30 IST

Notably, the call will take place a day before Trump hosts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump (Image Credit: Reuters)

US President Donald Trump is expected to hold a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing Ukraine war on Thursday, news outlet Axios reported.

Notably, the call will take place a day before Trump hosts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. According to a Ukrainian official, the scheduled talks between Trump and Zelenskyy on Friday will focus on the possible delivery of American long-range Tomahawk missiles for Kyiv.

“The main topic of discussion is Tomahawks. Of course, there is also the issue of Patriots," the Ukrainian official said, referring to US air defence batteries.

The Ukrainian leader plans to arrive in Washington on Thursday ahead of the talks. Zelenskyy’s visit will include top Ukrainian officials such as Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and national security chief Rustem Umerov.

Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskyy’s office, said in a post on X: “High-level talks aim to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, secure our energy resilience, and intensify sanctions pressure on the aggressor."

Earlier, the US President had indicated that the US is considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, which could be used to strike targets inside Russia.

“We may not, but we may do it," Trump said earlier this week, adding, “I think it’s appropriate to bring up — yeah, I want to. I want to see the war settled."

Trump said that he told Zelenskyy during their call last week that he might give Putin a new ultimatum to resume serious peace talks or else the US will provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles.

However, Russian leaders have warned against providing the weapons. Putin said that such a move would mark a “qualitatively new stage of escalation," while former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev cautioned, “It could end badly for everyone, and first and foremost, for Trump himself."

Ukraine remains heavily reliant on American weapons as its war with Russia nears the four-year mark in February 2026.

Through the PURL programme, Washington has pledged $2 billion in military aid, though this remains well below the $3.5 billion Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had hoped to secure by October.

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...

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