Kyiv residents expressed disappointment Saturday after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was leaning against selling long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

Ukrainians believe the missiles could be a game changer in helping bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

Therefore, Trump's latest rhetoric on Tomahawks sparked disappointment for residents who spoke to the Associated Press.

"I guess it was just a game....However we would really need them to make an end of this war,” said Roman Vynnychenko, a Ukrainian military serviceman.

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

But Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the U.S. supply, a turnabout after days of suggesting he was seriously weighing sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia's invasion.

Trump's tone on the Ukrainian war shifted again after he held a lengthy phone call with Putin on Thursday and announced that he planned to meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks.

"Everyday civilians and soldiers die, buildings collapse, our streets and cities are being destroyed,” Vynnychenko added, stressing the urgent need for the missiles.

In recent days, Trump had shown an openness to selling Ukraine the Tomahawks, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the U.S.-Russian relationship.

AP video by: Bela Szandelszky