Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "realistic" on chances of receiving US Tomahawk missiles after President Donald Trump told him he did not want escalation.
Mr Zelensky visited the White House a day after Mr Trump spoke by telephone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and agreed to meet the Russian leader a second time this year, this time in Budapest.
Speaking with reporters after his meeting, Mr Zelensky said he and Mr Trump had discussed Tomahawks, which have a range of 1,600 kilometers, but that there would be no announcement.
A Ukrainian source said Mr Zelensky had presented maps of potential targets inside Russia to Mr Trump.
"I think that Russia is afraid about Tomahawks, really afraid, because it's (a) strong weapon, and they know what we have, what kind of weapon we have, our production, and they understand that combination," Mr Zelensky said, apparently referring to Ukrainian drones.
Asked if he left the meeting more or less optimistic about the chances of the United States giving Tomahawks, Mr Zelensky said, "I'm realistic."
"We decided that we don't speak about it because nobody wants - I mean, the United States doesn't want - escalation," Mr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said that after his talks with Mr Trump, he immediately joined a call with European allies including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as well as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
US President Donald Trump has suggested it would be premature to give Ukraine Tomahawk missiles, saying as he hosted Volodymyr Zelensky that he hoped to secure peace with Russia first.
"Hopefully they won't need it. Hopefully we'll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks," Mr Trump told reporters as he said opposite Mr Zelensky in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
The US President also admitted that Mr Putin may be playing for time by agreeing to a new summit, but said he believed his Russian counterpart wanted a deal to end the Ukraine war.
"I am," Mr Trump said when a reporter asked him whether he was concerned that Mr Putin was trying to buy himself more time.
"But I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well. So, it's possible, a little time, it's alright. But I think that I'm pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal."
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky instead suggested that Moscow sought to pursue its invasion.
Ukraine's President also showed Mr Trump maps of potential targets for strikes in Russia, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP.
"On the maps, there are pressure points in the Russian defenses and military economy that could be targeted in order to compel (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to end the war," the source said.
Mr Zelensky had arrived at the White House for a high-stakes visit in which he was expected to push Mr Trump for long-range Tomahawk missiles that can strike deep inside Russia.
Mr Trump greeted Mr Zelensky as the two briefly posed for the cameras and went inside.
Meanwhile, a Kremlin envoy has suggested Russia and the United States should build a "Putin-Trump" rail tunnel under the Bering Straitto link their countries, unlock joint exploration of natural resources and "symbolise unity"
The proposal by Kirill Dmitriev, Mr Putin's investment envoy and head of Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, envisages a construction project costing $8 billion, funded by Moscow and "international partners", to build a 112km rail and cargo link in under eight years.
Mr Dmitriev, who has helped spearhead a Russian charm offensive designed to revive US-Russia ties, floated the idea late yesterday after Mr Putin spoke to Mr Trump by phone and agreed to meet in Budapest to seek a way to stop the war in Ukraine.
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Asked about the idea by a reporter during the meeting in Washington today, Mr Trump called the idea "interesting" and asked Mr Zelensky what he made of it.
"I'm not happy with this idea," the Ukrainian leader said, prompting laughter from the US side.
Earlier, Mr Putin held a phone call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to discuss the upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump, which is expected to take place in Budapest, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin said Mr Putin briefed Mr Orban on his conversation with Mr Trump, and Mr Orban said Hungary was ready to provide the necessary conditions for organising the summit.
The European Union welcomed the proposed meeting if this can help bring peace in Ukraine, a spokesperson told a briefing.
