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Trump's frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly in the nine months since he returned to office, but with his latest comments he appeared to be edging back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land it has lost to Russia.

"Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts," Trump said in a social media post not long after hosting Zelenskyy and his team for more than two hours of talks. "They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!"

In recent weeks, Trump showed growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed greater openness to helping Ukraine win the war.

Indeed, after meeting with Zelenskyy in New York on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly last month, Trump even said he believed the Ukrainians could win back all the the territory they lost to Russia since Putin launched the February 2022 invasion. That was a dramatic shift for Trump, who previously insisted that Kyiv would have to concede land lost to Russia to end the war.

After Friday's meeting, Zelenskyy said it was time for a ceasefire and negotiations. He sidestepped directly answering a question about Trump nudging Ukraine to give up land.

"The president is right we have to stop where we are, and then to speak," Zelenskyy said when asked by reporters about Trump's social media post, which he hadn't seen.

Trump's tone on the war shifted after he held a lengthy phone call with Putin on Thursday and announced that he planned to meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks.

The president also signaled to Zelenskyy on Friday that he's leaning against selling him long-range Tomahawk missiles, weaponry that the Ukrainians believe could be a game-changer in helping prod Putin to the negotiating table.

Zelenskyy at the start of the White House talks said he had a "proposition" in which Ukraine could provide the United States with its advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv the Tomahawk cruise missiles.

But Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the U.S. supply, a turnabout after days of suggesting he was seriously weighing sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia's invasion.

"I have an obligation also to make sure that we're completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what's going to happen in war and peace," Trump said. "We'd much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We'd much rather have the war be over to be honest."

Trump's latest rhetoric on Tomahawks is certainly disappointing to the Ukrainians. In recent days, Trump showed an openness to selling Ukraine the Tomahawks, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the U.S.-Russian relationship.

But following Thursday's call with Putin, Trump began downplaying the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of almost 1,000 miles. 

The Tomahawks would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. Zelenskyy argues the potential for such strikes would help compel Putin to take Trump's calls for direct negotiations to end the war more seriously.

Putin warned Trump during the call that supplying Kyiv with the Tomahawks "won't change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries," according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser.

It was the fifth face-to-face meeting for Trump and Zelenskyy since the Republican returned to office in January.

The president said Friday it was "to be determined" if Zelenskyy would be involved in the upcoming talks in Hungary — suggesting a "double meeting" with the warring countries' leaders was likely the most workable option for productive negotiations.

"These two leaders do not like each other, and we want to make it comfortable for everybody," Trump added.

But Zelenskyy told reporters that the animus toward Putin "is not about feelings."

"They attacked us, so they are an enemy for us. They don't intend to stop," Zelenskyy added. "So they are an enemy. It is not about someone just hating someone else. Although, undoubtedly, we hate the enemy. Undoubtedly."

Trump, going back to his 2024 campaign, insisted he would quickly end the war, but his peace efforts appeared to stall following a diplomatic blitz in August, when he held a summit with Putin in Alaska and a White House meeting with Zelenskyy and European allies.

Lack of hope

People in Russia and Ukraine on Friday hoped for progress but anticipated no major breakthrough on ending their war at the upcoming summit between Trump and Putin.

“When (Trump and Putin) meet, I don’t think anything will be achieved quickly,” said Moscow resident Artyom Kondratov, 36. 

At a previous Trump-Putin summit in Alaska in August, Putin didn’t budge from his demands and has raised objections about some key aspects of U.S.-led peace efforts. Three rounds of direct peace talks in Istanbul yielded no major breakthroughs.

“There will be some progress (in Hungary), yes, again, regarding prisoner exchanges and the return of children from both sides, but I’m sure there won’t be any concrete action in the coming days,” Kondratov said.

Another Moscow resident, Alexander Fedotov, 58, reckoned Trump’s peacemaking efforts could bear fruit.

“Trump isn’t going to Europe for nothing. It’s a big trip for him after all,” he said. “I think there will be progress.”

The mood in Kyiv was less hopeful.

“There are no expectations from any of these meetings, because the previous meetings showed that they are not productive,” said Marichka Fartushna, an army medic.

“Trump has clearly shown his position," she said. "He is not for Ukraine."