WASHINGTON, October 17. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky will have to swallow US President Donald Trump refusing to supply US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern said in a conversation with a TASS correspondent.

"It is a safe bet that the two leaders also discussed the issue of Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine today, although this was not mentioned in either readout. President Trump noted that he and Vladimir Zelensky will discuss all this tomorrow (Friday) at the White House," he noted, commenting on the October 16 phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The cordial tone of the conversation "suggests to me that Zelensky will have to swallow a ‘nyet’ for an answer on Tomahawks," the former CIA officer who is currently an anti-war and human rights activist said.

"I am willing to make an educated guess — before tomorrow — that Zelensky will be told ‘no’ [with regard to] Tomahawks," he reiterated.

According to the expert, the most recent conversation between Putin and Trump also demonstrated the lasting significance of their meeting in Anchorage. The "telephone call between presidents Trump and Putin shows that (to paraphrase Mark Twain) reports of the death of the spirit of Anchorage have been grossly exaggerated. The two agreed to meet next in Budapest, after senior advisers prepare for it starting next week," he explained.

"While pointing out that Russia’s forces hold the strategic initiative in Ukraine, Putin stressed Russia’s interest in achieving a peaceful resolution through political and diplomatic methods. Both sides noted President Trump’s repeated emphasis that resolution of the conflict in Ukraine would open ‘tremendous prospects for US-Russian economic cooperation.’ President Trump labeled the conversation 'very productive,' adding that 'great progress was made,'" McGovern concluded.

On Thursday, Trump, following a phone conversation with Putin, said that they had agreed to meet in Budapest soon. Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov also confirmed that Moscow and Washington will begin preparing for a new meeting between the two leaders which may take place in the Hungarian capital "without delay." According to him, this is "indeed a very important moment." Preparations for the meeting will begin in the near future, following a phone conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Ushakov specified.