Zelenskiy arrived on Friday with top aides to discuss the latest developments with Trump over lunch, a day after the US president and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict.
Zelenskiy has been seeking long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US, which would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure.
Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the US Tomahawk 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."
At the start of the talks, Zelenskiy congratulated Trump over landing last week's ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and said Trump now has "momentum" to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"President Trump now has a big chance to finish this war," Zelenskiy said.
Trump's shifting rhetoric on Tomahawks is certainly disappointing to the Ukrainians.
In recent days, Trump has shown an openness to selling the weapons, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship.
But following Thursday's call with Putin, Trump appeared to downplay the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about 1600 kilometres.
Zelenskiy 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.
But 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.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that talk of providing Tomahawks had already served a purpose by pushing Putin into talks.
"The conclusion is that we need to continue with strong steps. Strength can truly create momentum for peace," Sybiha said on the social platform X late Thursday.
Ukrainian officials have also indicated that Zelenskiy plans to appeal to Trump's economic interests by aiming to discuss the possibility of energy deals with the US
Zelenskiy is expected to offer to store American liquefied natural gas in Ukraine's gas storage facilities, which would allow for an American presence in the European energy market.
He previewed the strategy on Thursday in meetings with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the heads of American energy companies.
He posted on X that it is important to restore Ukraine's energy infrastructure after Russian attacks and expand "the presence of American businesses in Ukraine".
It is the fourth face-to-face meeting for Trump and Zelenskiy since the Republican returned to office in January, and their second in less than a month.
Trump announced following Thursday's call with Putin that he would soon meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss ways to end the war.
