Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office reveals main agenda for Zelenskyy-Trump meeting

Expectations from the White House meeting

"I think we need decisions that will help to change Putin's attitude that he is in a strong position. He needs to understand that with President Trump, it's impossible to play games," Yermak said.

Zelenskyy, who arrived in Washington on Thursday, has recently expressed optimism about Trump's willingness to approve the supply of long-range Tomahawk missiles.

However, shortly after his arrival, his team was surprised by Trump's statement about an upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin in Hungary, the least friendly country toward Ukraine in the EU.

Preparation and discussion topics

Yermak said that Zelenskyy's invitation to the White House was the result of two phone conversations between the presidents that took place a week ago.

"Both calls were very good. The presidents understand each other. They immediately started to talk very concretely. The fact that they agreed so fast to meet demonstrates that we are friends and partners," Yermak noted.

According to him, although the conversations took place over a secure line, the leaders wanted to discuss issues that could only be addressed in person.

"There are a lot of questions that are impossible to discuss by phone. It's like the situation on the front line. Like about our (military - ed.) plans and about how we and the American side see the next steps for the peace process," Yermak added.

He clarified that Zelenskyy informed Trump of his readiness to meet with Putin in any format and in any part of the world except Russia and Belarus. Putin had previously repeatedly declined such meetings.

Tomahawk missiles and other systems

The main topic of the talks between Zelenskyy and Trump will be expanding the list of weapons systems that the United States is ready to sell to Ukraine. Kyiv's top priority is the Tomahawk missiles. The decision on them has not yet been made, but as Yermak noted, such weapons could be a "game-changer."

He emphasized that the missiles are needed to strike drone and missile factories deep inside Russian territory. Ukraine also hopes to receive other systems that require US political approval. "We need a US political decision that we will be able to buy any weapons that we need without any restrictions," Yermak said.

At the same time, he acknowledged that deliveries under the scheme, in which NATO countries purchase weapons from the US and transfer them to Ukraine, are delayed, particularly for air defense systems.

Possible limitations and risks

Even if Trump agrees to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, there remains the question of how many the US can allocate from its own stockpiles. Moreover, there are a few launch systems like Typhon, which are used to fire Tomahawks, available to the US military.

American and Ukrainian military experts believe that the US will most likely be able to provide only older missile models that Russian air defenses can intercept.

However, Zelenskyy is confident that simply having such missiles would send an important political signal. "We can already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks," he said on Thursday.

Financing

Yermak added that Ukraine hopes the European Union will decide next week to use over 100 billion dollars in frozen Russian assets to purchase weapons for Ukraine from American companies.

"We need more air defense. First of all, Patriot systems. We also discussed some other weapons, which I prefer not to mention," he said.

During his visit to Washington, Zelenskyy also met with executives from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, as well as representatives of US energy companies.

"As Russia is betting on terror against our energy sector and carrying out daily strikes, we are working to ensure Ukraine's resilience," he emphasized.

Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump is scheduled to begin on October 17 at 8:00 p.m. Kyiv time. The talks will take place in an informal setting over dinner and will be closed to the press.