Zelensky met with Trump at the White House for the third time this year amid speculation that Ukraine might receive some of the missiles that would enable it to strike Moscow and Russian energy infrastructure.
Trump declined to provide Ukraine with the long-range missiles to prevent an escalation of the war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Zelensky told media after the meeting ended.
The 2.5-hour meeting "was tough" and involved Trump making "several strong statements" and briefing Zelensky about a 2.5-hour phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Axios reported.
Trump favors ending the war now with both sides retaining the territories that they currently hold, which would redraw national boundaries along current front lines.
The president told Zelensky and Putin "it is time to stop the killing and make a deal," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday afternoon.
"Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by war and guts," he said, adding that both sides could claim victory, with history deciding which is right.
"No more shooting, no more death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent," Trump added.
He said thousands of people are "slaughtered" every week and suggested both sides stop fighting and go home to their families.
Trump and Putin tentatively have agreed to a bilateral summit in Budapest, Hungary, in the near future.
Zelensky left for Washington on Thursday in hopes of securing the Tomahawk missiles that he wanted to attack Russian oil and energy infrastructure that largely funds Russia's military, according to the BBC.
Zelensky said Putin is fearful of Ukraine obtaining Tomahawk missiles, but Zelensky is "realistic" about the situation.
"We have to stop where we are," Zelensky said of the war. "The president is right."
Trump said the United States needs the missiles for its own national defense, but he left open the potential for eventually sending them to Ukraine if the war does not end soon.
"The threat of that is good, but the threat of that is always there," the president told the BBC on Friday.
Putin also cautioned Trump against supplying Ukraine with the missiles during their Thursday conversation and said it would weaken the already strained relations between Russia and the United States.
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