**Trump Signals Shift Toward Russia as Ukraine War Rages On**
*By Jonathan Ernst | Reuters*
U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated a possible shift in his stance toward Russia’s Vladimir Putin, seeking a swift end to the war in Ukraine—a move likely to unsettle Ukrainian officials.
On Friday, Trump held a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. Among the topics discussed was the potential supply of U.S. long-range cruise missiles, specifically Tomahawks, to Ukraine. However, Zelenskyy left the meeting not only empty-handed but reportedly reprimanded by Trump.
According to Trump, Ukraine should accept Russia’s terms for ending the conflict by relinquishing control over the entire eastern territory of Donbas, the epicenter of the ongoing fighting. Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump said, “For Donbas to be cut the way it is… I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia.”
“They should stop right now at the battle lines. Go home, stop killing people and be done,” Trump urged during an interview aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
During his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump also warned that Putin had cautioned him in a lengthy phone call on Thursday that Russia would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not comply with the demands. The two leaders agreed to hold in-person talks in Hungary.
The meeting reportedly deteriorated into a shouting match, with Trump “cursing all the time,” according to unnamed sources cited by the *Financial Times*. However, Trump described the encounter on his social media platform, Truth Social, as “very interesting, and cordial,” adding that he had “strongly suggested” to both leaders that it was time to end the war.
“Let both claim Victory, let History decide!” he wrote in a post on Friday.
Despite the tough exchange, Zelenskyy maintained a brave front in an interview aired Sunday on NBC News’ *Meet the Press*. Speaking shortly after the White House meeting, Zelenskyy told moderator Kristen Welker, “We are not losing this war, and Putin is not winning.”
Though Zelenskyy left without the coveted Tomahawk missiles, he remained cautiously optimistic. “It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no,’ but for today, didn’t say ‘yes,’” he said.
Zelenskyy also expressed readiness to join the upcoming summit between Putin and Trump, expected to take place in Budapest in the next few weeks. Whether he will receive an invitation to the meeting remains uncertain.
In addition to declining to supply Tomahawk missiles—a proposal Trump once floated to push Russia toward negotiations—Trump contemplated providing security guarantees to both Kyiv and Moscow, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
CNBC has reached out to the White House for further comment and is awaiting a response.
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### Is Trump Ready to Pressure Putin?
Observers closely following the Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy relationship worry that President Trump may be easily swayed by the seasoned Russian leader’s arguments regarding Ukraine. Critics say Trump seems neither ready nor willing to increase pressure on Putin, whether through more arms transfers to Kyiv or tougher economic sanctions on Russia.
“We keep dismissing Donald Trump as kind of ‘Everybody’s Fool’ because he’s so bombastic and says many things a mile a minute, but he actually is being very transactional about the relationship,” said Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School, in an interview on CNBC’s *Squawk Box* on Friday.
“Everybody keeps pulling him one side or another, be it the Russian side or Ukrainian side. But he’s not taking sides, and he’s really playing, interestingly, both hands,” Khrushcheva noted.
She added that Trump continues to aim to win over Putin, while also keeping him on a “tight leash,” as shown by his threat to provide Ukraine with more weapons.
“So far, I think it is working. He’s not giving either side what they wanted, but he keeps going, and eventually, potentially, they may agree to some sort of a peace agreement,” she said.
Michael O’Hanlon, director of foreign policy research at the Brookings Institution, pointed out that Putin is likely to wait Trump out.
“I think it would be more effective [for Trump] to combine the military threat with greater economic pressure, but we’ll see maybe that comes later,” O’Hanlon said on Friday.
He suggested several ways the U.S. could ratchet up pressure on Moscow, including another aid package for Ukraine and a tougher crackdown on Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers that help circumvent oil price caps and sanctions.
“We don’t do much trading with Russia, but, of course, other countries do,” O’Hanlon said. “I think it’s time to talk to not just India, but also China about a strategy whereby they would consider reducing their interaction, their economic interaction, and you threaten secondary sanctions if you don’t get that kind of help.”
“Those are the different pieces. Not all of them have to happen at the exact same minute, and they can happen. They can be phased in, but I think President Trump is a little too fixated on just the Tomahawks, plus his personal rapport with Putin, and I don’t think that’s going to be enough [to stop Russia].”
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*Image Credit: Tom Brenner | AFP | Getty Images*
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/20/trump-shifts-weight-behind-putin-after-tense-meeting-with-zelenskyy.html
