On October 17, 2025, Zelensky entered the White House for the third time in the eighth month.
But the result this time is the same as the previous two times-I still didn't get the Tomahawk missile I wanted.
Three visits to the White House: failed again and again
When he first arrived, he wore a black shirt, not only was he questioned by U.S. Vice President Wences and journalists whether he did not respect the president, but eventually Trump didn't even leave him to eat, and sent him out of the White House.
Later, at the Pope's funeral, although the two met, they only had a brief chat.
On the second visit, he changed a set of black suits similar to hunting suit, did not wear a tie, can both to the domestic resistance, but also want to leave a good impression on the Trump team.
At that time, with many European leaders and EU Commission President Von der Leyen accompanied, Trump appeared to be friendly, but in fact focused on getting Europe to give money to Ukraine, and also explicitly said to cut arms supplies to Ukraine.
Because the United States does not have enough ammunition itself, it has to bomb Iran, help Israel, and deal with the situation in Venezuela. It has no extra energy to manage Ukraine.
On the third time, Trump praised his coat as "very fashionable" as soon as they met, but this sounded more like a hidden joke to senior political leaders. After all, Zelensky was a former comedian.
Even more embarrassing to him was the fact that U.S. Secretary of Defence Hegerseth wore a collar with the image of the Russian flag on the same day, which everyone can see the meaning of it.
He was looking forward to getting the "Tax" missile, and even offered to exchange it for Ukrainian-made drones.
However, Trump made it clear that the United States can ask for Ukraine's "local specialties" and was even eager to sign a mineral agreement with Ukraine before, but the Tomahawk missile was not even possible.
The weapons are too dangerous to escalate the situation, and the United States needs to keep them to defend itself.
The US-Russia game: Ukraine becomes a bargaining chip
Zelensky has visited the United States three times and repeatedly hit the wall, behind the game between the United States and Russia, and Ukraine is only the code that could be thrown away in this game at any time.
On October 16, 2025, Putin took the initiative to initiate a telephone call with Trump, which lasted for two and a half hours.
During the call, Trump repeatedly emphasized the need to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, while Putin emphasized that if the United States gives Ukraine "Tomahawk" missiles, it will not only fail to change the battlefield situation, but will also seriously damage Russia-US relations.
The two sides agreed to meet in Budapest, Hungary.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban also quickly said that preparations had begun for the meeting, and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rubio would also talk on the phone in the next few days to determine the specific time for the meeting.
Trump’s attitude toward Ukraine has always been clear, and although he wants to contain Russia, he doesn’t want to help Ukraine without reason.
He felt that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was instigated by the Biden administration and had no reason to let his administration pay the bill.
Moreover, from the perspective of interests, the "Tomahawk" missile costs about US$2 million each. If it is given to Ukraine, it will consume the U.S. arsenal and affect the U.S.'s own strategic security. After all, it has to deal with other strategic opponents such as China. The United States cannot afford this kind of loss.
Therefore, even if he mentioned on the phone that he might give Tomahawk missiles, he only used it as a political bargaining chip and did not really want to support Ukraine.
Putin also has his own consideration that Russia is facing financial pressures, a shortage of soldiers and international isolation, so in this conversation no longer emphasizes the grand narrative of "special military operations", but more pragmatically focuses on how to "decently end the war".
Russia has long been preparing a "framework ceasefire agreement" that includes freezing the current front, placing UN peacekeepers in the buffer zone, Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, and US-Russia jointly safeguarding Ukraine's neutrality.
Trump, on the other hand, proposed "economy for peace". If Russia agrees to a ceasefire and withdraw from some occupied areas, the United States will push for the lifting of some sanctions and restart cooperation with Russia in the fields of energy and agriculture.
Lost card: Lost card
The United States and Russia are busy talking about the future, but Ukraine has fallen into an increasingly difficult situation, and its trump cards have long been exhausted.
Militarily, Ukraine's military operations almost entirely rely on Western assistance, but now Western support is getting weaker and weaker.
In March 2025, the United States suspended military aid to Ukraine; European countries such as Germany and France have become ambiguous about continuing to aid Ukraine due to the domestic energy crisis and the rise of the right wing.
The war on the front line in Ukraine is deadlocked. In order to replenish troops, the conscription age has been lowered to 25 years old.
Zelensky, who has always called for "territorial integrity", has also said he is willing to accept any form of peaceful talks, including bilateral or tripartite talks, and even mention "first a ceasefire at the current position and then negotiations".
In terms of weapons, the Ukrainian Defense Minister Shmeigar said that at present mainly relies on long-range drones to carry out deep-seated strikes on Russia, but to effectively strike Russian deep-seated areas, there must also be long-range missiles, so I have always wanted to get "strike ax" missiles from the United States.
But even if it can really get, the effect is limited to the maximum range of 2,000 kilometers, can cover the central part of Russia to the Ural mountains, threatening Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities, but Russia has already had a response.
British military experts analyzed that when Russia faced the "Shadow of the Storm" cruise missile before, it had already adapted by adjusting its defense system.
The defense network built now is more comprehensive, and the supply of Tomahawk missiles is unlikely to be large enough to change the war situation.
Internationally, Ukraine's isolation is becoming increasingly obvious. Florian Filippo, leader of the French Patriot Party, bluntly said that Zelensky's visit to the United States was "fruitless" and advised Ukraine that "it must move towards negotiation and peace, otherwise it will completely disappear".
European countries seem to support it, but in fact they each have plans. Poland and the three Baltic countries are privately formulating "wartime refugee reception plans," while Hungary and Slovakia are openly calling for "realistic peace."
From the former "bridgehead of *", Ukraine has gradually become a "bargaining chip" in the game of great powers, and its strategic value is getting lower and lower.
Peace is near?
Now that the United States and Russia are preparing for the "post-conflict era," peace seems to be getting closer and closer, but for Ukraine, there is a high probability that it will only be forced to accept an "arranged peace."
If Trump could promote a ceasefire, it would benefit him a lot, not only to rebuild the international image, but also to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026, he privately even told his assistants, “Obama can win the prize, why can’t I?”
So he has been pushing for a ceasefire along the current front, and said that "both sides can declare victory, let history finally decide", believing that the conflict has caused "sufficient bloodshed", and it is difficult to carry on the expenses.
On the Russian side, although the proposed ceasefire conditions are very harsh for Ukraine, it requires Ukraine to withdraw troops from Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhnia and Kherson regions.
Recognize these areas, as well as Crimea and Sevastopol, as Russian territory, and require Ukraine to remain neutral, denuclearized, demilitarized and denazized.
However, Russia has also shown its willingness to negotiate. Putin has repeatedly stated that he is "ready for dialogue and consultation" and pointed out that the West and the Kiev regime are trying to prolong the conflict.
Ukraine now has few choices. Although the meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest may not lead to an immediate ceasefire agreement, it has marked the shift of the Russia-Ukraine conflict from a "military solution" to a "political deal."
According to the current direction of negotiations between the United States and Russia, in the future, Russia may retain parts of Crimea and Donbas, and Ukraine will gain a security neutrality status guaranteed by the three parties of the United States, Russia and Europe.
Plus a “Marshall-style” reconstruction plan led by the United States, funded by Europe, and participated by Russia with energy discounts.
For Ukraine, this is undoubtedly a “cutting-edge pursuit of peace”, but in the face of the unfavourable reality of food cuts and the battlefield, it may already be the “worst end.”
After all, in the current situation, the fate of Ukraine is not at all in the priority of the United States, it can only be forced to accept the outcome of the game of great powers.