NBC’s Welker Straight-Up Asks If Trump Caved To Putin On Sending Missiles To Ukraine In Zelensky Exclusive

NBC News anchor Kristen Welker straight-up asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin changed President Donald Trump’s mind about supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

The president welcomedZelensky to the White House Friday afternoon and spoke with reporters for about 40 minutes in the Oval Office, in addition to bilateral talks off-camera that did not result in an agreement on the Tomahawks.

In a preview of an interview that will air on Sunday morning’s edition of NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Welker probed Zelensky about the meeting, and asked Zelemsky “Do you think President Trump changed his tone about Tomahawk missiles after speaking with President Putin?”:

KRISTEN WELKER: Did President Trump give you any assurances that the United States will give Ukraine Tomahawk missiles?

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: First of all, we need Tomahawks. And when we speak about long range, people have just to understand, we use thousands of long-range drones — Ukrainian production — on military goals. But Russia uses not only drones of Iranian production, they uses and also their production. Be honest, they have their drones, but also they use missiles of Russian productions and missiles long-range of North Korea production. It’s very difficult just to operate only with Ukrainian drones. We need long-range Tomahawks and United States has similar things. We need it for mixed — using like Russia uses it, it’s understandable how it works, so our teams work on it, I said, and I’m honest, it’s good that President Trump didn’t say “no”, but for today, didn’t say “yes”.

KRISTEN WELKER: He didn’t say yes to Tomahawk missiles?

PRES .VOLODYMR ZELENSKYY: I mean, this is sensitive question, and messages from [the] president that it’s not enough for American interests, the number of you have, yes, I can’t share these details. I’m sorry. This is your internal questions, but I count on continuation of this dialogue.

KRISTEN WELKER: In the beginning of the week, President Trump seemed open to giving Ukraine Tomahawk missiles. Then after speaking to President Putin, he changed his tone. Do you think President Trump changed his tone about Tomahawk missiles after speaking with President Putin?

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: I don’t know, really, because we didn’t meet before this phone call. But for today, it’s good, again, that he didn’t say “no” — yes? But I think that it’s — you know, what he what he understands, maybe understood after the phone call, I don’t know, I was not in during phone call. So, but I knew about it that Tomahawks, it’s very sensitive for Russians. They afraid that United States can deliver Ukraine — I think that Putin [is] afraid that United States will deliver us Tomahawks. And I think that he really afraid that we will use. And he knows what military goals, we know where they are, where the military goals of Russia, and he afraid that we can use it. And that’s why we are where we are.

Watch above via NBC’s Meet the Press.