After Zelenskyy meeting, Trump calls on Ukraine and Russia to ‘stop where they are’ and end the war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war following a lengthy White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump's frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly in the nine months since he returned to office, but with his latest comments he edged 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 Truth Social 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!”

Later, soon after arriving in Florida, where he's spending the weekend, Trump urged both sides to “stop the war immediately” and implied that Moscow keep territory it’s taken from Kyiv.

“You go by the battle line wherever it is — otherwise it's too complicated,” Trump told reporters. "You stop at the battle line and both sides should go home, go to their families, stop the killing, and that should be it.”

The comments amounted to another shift in position on the war by Trump. In recent weeks, he had shown growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed greater openness to helping Ukraine win the war.

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 had lost to Russia since Putin launched the February 2022 invasion. That was a dramatic shift for Trump, who had previously insisted that Kyiv would have to concede land lost to Russia to end the war.

Zelenskyy after Friday's meeting 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.”

In an interview with Kristen Welker of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelenskyy suggested the door was not closed.

“It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no,’ but for today, didn’t say ‘yes,’” he said.

Zelenskyy also said “we need Tomahawks” because “it’s very difficult just to operate only with Ukrainian drones.”

Trump's latest rhetoric on Tomahawks was certainly disappointing to the Ukrainians. In recent days, Trump had shown 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 about 995 miles (1,600 kilometers.)

Zelenskyy had been seeking the Tomahawks, which would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. Zelenskyy has argued that 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.

Trump emerged from those meetings certain he was on track to arranging direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin. But the Russian leader hasn’t shown any interest in meeting with Zelenskyy and Moscow has only intensified its bombardment of Ukraine.

Asked Friday if he was concerned that Putin was stringing him along, Trump acknowledged it was a possibility but said he was confident he could handle the Russian leader.

“I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well," Trump said. He added, “I think I’m pretty good at this stuff."

Megerian reported from West Palm Beach, Fla. AP writer Susie Blann in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed reporting.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to reporters in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, following a meeting with President Donald Trump, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens as President Donald Trump speaks before a lunch in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, second right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seated left, sit as reporters as questions before a lunch in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, left, greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, sits before a meeting with President Donald Trump, from right, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, left, gestures as he greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, left, greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during a news conference, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 8, 2025--

Resecurity, a global cybersecurity and threat intelligence company trusted by Fortune 100 enterprises and government agencies, has joined the U.S.-Saudi Business Council (USSBC) as a Chairman’s Circle member — the Council’s highest membership tier that brings together industry leaders advancing innovation, defense, and cross-border investment between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Founded in 1993, the U.S.-Saudi Business Council is the first and only institution created specifically to advance private-sector partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. With offices in Washington, D.C. and Riyadh, the Council connects senior executives, investors, and policymakers from leading American and Saudi organizations across diverse sectors. Its mission is to facilitate partnerships, foster innovation, and strengthen the economic relationship that underpins the long-standing U.S.-Saudi alliance.

“Joining the Chairman’s Circle aligns with our long-term commitment to Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and to trusted cross-border partnerships,” said Gene Yoo, CEO of Resecurity. “Cybersecurity is a prerequisite for economic growth and modern digital ecosystem. We look forward to contributing intelligence-driven capabilities that help protect critical infrastructure, financial systems, and innovation initiatives across the Kingdom and the broader region.”

Charles S. Hallab, President and CEO of the U.S.-Saudi Business Council, said: “We are pleased to welcome Resecurity as a Chairman’s Circle member. Their commitment to strengthening cybersecurity capabilities aligns well with the Council’s mission of advancing high-impact U.S.–Saudi partnerships. We look forward to their engagement and to the contributions they will bring to our members and the broader business community.”

This step builds on Resecurity’s ongoing collaboration with the Council and partners from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, underscoring cybersecurity as one of the key drivers of national resilience, digital sovereignty, and technology excellence in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030.

About U.S.-Saudi Business Council

The U.S.-Saudi Business Council, “the Council,” was established as a non-profit organization in 1993 as a spin-off of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission, a technical assistance initiative between the Saudi Ministry of Finance and National Economy and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. To learn more, visit https://ussaudi.org.

About Resecurity

Resecurity® is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified endpoint protection, fraud prevention, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence platform. Known for providing best-of-breed, data-driven intelligence solutions, Resecurity’s services and platforms focus on early-warning identification of data breaches and comprehensive protection against cybersecurity risks. Founded in 2016, it has been globally recognized as one of the world’s most innovative cybersecurity companies with the sole mission of enabling organizations to combat cyber threats regardless of how sophisticated they are. Most recently, by Inc. Magazine, Resecurity was named one of the Top 10 fastest-growing private cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles, California. Resecurity is a member of InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA), AFCEA, NDIA, SIA, FS-ISAC, and multiple American Chambers of Commerce globally, including AmChamKSA. To learn more, visit https://resecurity.com.

Resecurity Joined the U.S.-Saudi Business Council as a Chairman's Circle Member