On Wednesday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of saying nasty things about him and criticized him for not reaching a deal with Russias Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Zelenskyys country.

But Friday, both men were, if not all smiles, at least only somewhat visibly awkward as they tried to paper over a central difference in their stances: Trump has declined to say which side he favors in Russias war on Ukraine, and Zelenskyy has insisted on a just end to the war that would preserve his countrys pre-conflict boundaries.

The Friday morning meeting in New York City between Trump and Zelenskyy capped off a roller-coaster week for the Ukrainian president, whose bid to keep fighting hinges heavily on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, given the U.S. supply of weapons is allowing the much-smaller Ukraine to remain in the fight.

We need [a] just peace, we need [a] just peace. Its so important to have [a] just peace for the people, especially for the families who lost their children. Its [a] big tragedy, Zelenskyy told Fox News after the pair met.

Trump said his stance hasnt changed, but he appeared to be softening it slightly.

We both want to see this end, and we both want to see a fair deal made. Its got to be fair, Trump said as he stood next to Zelenskyy. And I think thatll happen at the right time.

Trumps tone was a marked change from just Wednesday, when he and several high-profile GOP members of Congress attacked Zelenskyy publicly.

Its something we have to have a quick discussion about because the president of Ukraine is in our country and hes making little nasty aspersions toward your favorite president, me, Trump said at a campaign appearance in North Carolina , referring to Zelenskyys description of Trump running mate JD Vances position as too radical in an interview with The New Yorker .

Vance infamously once declared he did not care what happened to Ukraine and has been one of the Senates most prominent critics of aiding Ukraine. The Ohio Republican has defended Trump, saying the former president would resolve the war before he took office if he won in November, a stance Ukraine supporters have seen as a veiled threat to cut off aid to force Ukraine to accept Russian sovereignty over territory it invaded.

Any deal the worst deal wouldve been better than what we have now, Trump said Wednesday. Ukraine is gone.

He went on to paint Ukraine as a post-apocalyptic wasteland even as outside of its contested eastern and southern regions, life has gone on much as before the war. Ukraines economic ministry said economic growth was up 3.5% in August compared with the same month a year ago.

Earlier in the week, the presence of three Democratic politicians while Zelenskyy toured a Pennsylvania factory that makes munitions for Ukraines war effort sent Capitol Hill Republicans into a conniption.

I have heard that 400 people work here, but I wanted very much to come here and to thank you, Zelenskyy said. Four hundred people have saved millions of Ukrainians.