A surprise phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday has disrupted Ukraine’s diplomatic plans. The two agreed to meet soon to discuss the war in Ukraine, a move that caught Kyiv completely off guard.
The timing was grim. Within a single day, Russia launched dozens of missiles and more than 300 drones across Ukraine. The attacks struck civilian sites, damaging gas pipelines just as cold weather begins. Power cuts have spread nationwide as strikes cripple the energy grid.
Moscow’s attacks hide deep frustration
For Ukraine’s government, the new wave of strikes signals Russian weakness. The frontlines remain largely frozen, with huge losses on both sides for tiny territorial shifts. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones continue to hit Russian oil facilities, squeezing Moscow’s war economy.
President Volodymyr Zelensky had placed his hopes in his visit to Washington. He wanted to secure more weapons and military funding to keep pressure on the Kremlin. Before his flight, he sounded confident. He even hinted that Trump was beginning to understand Ukraine’s point of view—a major change from February’s tense Oval Office meeting, when Trump accused him of “gambling with World War Three.”
The promise of Tomahawk missiles
After the failed Trump-Putin summit in Alaska and the surge in Russian bombardments, Kyiv believed Trump’s patience with Putin was wearing thin. Zelensky’s team hoped the White House meeting would deliver approval for long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Trump’s tone seemed tougher last weekend. “Do they want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so,” he said. Yet military experts warned the missiles would take months to arrive because of complex logistics.
Even so, they would give Ukraine a massive advantage. Tomahawks could strike deep inside Russia and send a clear message that Washington was shifting its stance.
A call mid-flight changes everything
Trump and Putin spoke for two and a half hours while Zelensky was flying to Washington. The timing undermined his long-planned diplomatic push. Still, Zelensky stayed composed. Upon arrival, he claimed Russia was “rushing to renew dialogue” because of talk about Tomahawks.
Analysts saw it as something else. The Kremlin confirmed that Moscow had requested the call. Putin reportedly warned that supplying Tomahawks would be viewed as a grave provocation. The two leaders also discussed what Russia called “colossal trade prospects” if peace talks advanced.
They agreed to meet in Hungary within two weeks. Trump later described the call as “very productive.”
A cold season of uncertainty
As Ukraine enters its fourth wartime winter, few citizens believe Trump can deliver peace. A woman injured in a Russian missile attack on a train carriage expressed the mood from her hospital bed: “A person like Putin can’t be trusted.”
After landing in Washington, Zelensky met with American defense executives producing the weapons he says Ukraine urgently needs. He will still ask for the Tomahawks, though his chances now appear slim.
The same diplomatic pattern returns
Each time Trump’s patience with Putin runs thin, the Russian leader manages to pull him back. A single conversation often softens Trump’s tone and delays tougher action against Moscow.
The planned Hungary summit, offered with no clear concessions, suggests Washington’s position remains cautious. For now, Ukraine’s hopes for long-range missiles seem to be slipping away. Instead of the breakthrough he expected, Zelensky faces a diplomatic setback—born not on the battlefield, but over a phone line.
