Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday for a high-stakes discussion centered on a possible Tomahawk missile arms deal and one surprising detail from that meeting is now going viral.
According to lip-reading expert Nicola Hickling, Zelensky appeared to tell Trump he was “upset” when the two leaders greeted each other outside the White House. The encounter was captured on camera, and Hickling analyzed the footage for Daily Express US.
As Trump leaned in to greet him, he reportedly asked, “Are you feeling okay after that episode?” Zelensky, slightly nodding, is said to have replied, “I’m upset, it’s been a lot of pressure.”
Trump then motioned toward the cameras and seemed to reassure him, saying “Yep, okay.” Hickling adds that Trump quietly followed up with, “I don’t want to say anything because it could humiliate us.”
The brief but revealing exchange came just before their private meeting, where both leaders discussed an arms-for-drones exchange a proposal in which the U.S. would supply Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine in return for Ukrainian-made drones.
Sources suggest the deal could help the U.S. replenish its own stockpile after years of supplying weapons to multiple international conflicts. For Ukraine, access to Tomahawks could allow strikes deep inside Russian territory, targeting oil and gas refineries critical to Russia’s energy-based economy.
The timing of the meeting is especially significant. Just before Zelensky’s visit, Trump reportedly spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was said to be “panicked” about the potential U.S.–Ukraine arms deal and urged Trump to reconsider.
Despite that conversation, Trump appears to be leaning toward stronger support for Kyiv. He later posted on Truth Social, writing:
“After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation, and after seeing the economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
The possible Tomahawk missile sale marks a turning point in U.S.–Ukraine relations under Trump, especially after his earlier hesitation to provide direct support to Kyiv. With talks of a future meeting between Trump and Putin already on the calendar, global attention is fixed on how this new diplomatic dynamic will shape the next stage of the Ukraine–Russia war.
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