Donald Trump was asked on Friday whether he was concerned Russian president Vladimir Putin might be "playing" him for time by agreeing to talks.

"You know, I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well, so it's possible," Trump replied.

The Tomahawk missiles sought by Ukraine would give Kyiv the ability to strike deep into Russia with great accuracy. They would also carry political weight, that Trump is backing Ukraine against Putin’s belligerence.

Ahead of Friday’s meeting, Trump had signalled that he “may” give Ukraine the missiles. After a call with Putin on Thursday, however, he started highlighting the need for the US to keep its own arsenals stocked.

After meeting with Trump on Friday, Zelensky indicated there had been no movement “today”. “We have to work on it more,” he said.

Zelensky acknowledged that Trump’s reluctance is primarily because “the United States does not want an escalation”.

Trump left the White House without taking questions.

President Trump welcomed Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky into the White House with a pat on the back on Friday - a stunning reversal from where things were in February.

Trump’s tone was more cordial, and he made a point of praising Zelensky on his strengths as a leader and his choice of dress before the press were invited to ask questions.

The questions soon turned to the issue of Tomahawk missiles - lethal American long-range cruise missiles coveted by Ukraine.

Trump repeatedly expressed reluctance to provide Ukraine with the missiles, saying he would rather just end the war. He also reiterated that the US needs a fully stocked arsenal.

Zelensky came prepared, speaking Trump’s language and offering a ‘deal’ of sorts. He suggested Ukraine could offer an exchange of Ukrainian drones for US weaponry. Trump seemed interested in the idea.

Trump did not publicly move on the issue. Zelensky said later that Trump had not said “no”, but had also not said “yes” on Friday.

“He has offered everything,” Trump said, referring to Maduro. “You know why? Because he doesn't want to f*** around with the United States.”

Broadcasters apologised to viewers for the president’s language.

Volodymyr Zelensky remained hopeful of the US sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine after concluding his meeting with Donald Trump yesterday.

“It’s good that president Trump didn’t say ‘no’, but for today, didn’t say ‘yes,'" he told NBC News.

The US president signalled to Zelensky on Friday that he was leaning against selling him long-range Tomahawk missiles, weaponry that the Ukrainians were thought to believe could be a gamechanger in prodding Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

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

But Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the US 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.”

A Kremlin envoy has proposed a “Putin-Trump” rail tunnel between eastern Russia and the US state of Alaska to “symbolise unity”, even suggesting that it could be built by billionaire Elon Musk.

Kirill Dmitriev, Moscow’s special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation and a key negotiator in Ukraine peace talks, suggested the project could be completed within eight years by Musk’s Boring Company, at a cost of $8bn (£6bn). This could be funded by Moscow and “international partners”, he added.

He envisaged the 70-mile rail and cargo link beneath the Bering Strait could unlock joint exploration of natural resources.

President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the US has “never had a president that solved one war.”

Trump made the false claim as he prepared to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday afternoon. They’re expected to discuss strengthening US support for Kyiv.

“To the best of my knowledge, we've never had a president that solved one war, not one war,” Trump told reporters.

“Bush started a war. A lot of them start wars, but they don't solve the wars.”

Trump announced Thursday that he will soon meet with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine. The choice has raised questions, because Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court. However, Hungary appears unlikely to cooperate with the warrant and is in the process of leaving the court, the Associated Press reports.

When HuffPost asked the White House who chose the location for the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt replied, “Your mom did.” White House communications director Steven Cheung also followed up with, “Your mom,” the outlet reports.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian president Vladimir Putin was avoiding meeting him because of personal hatred.

“It's not a secret, president Trump said that Putin hates me,” Zelensky said, speaking to reporters outside the White House.