U.S. President Donald Trump has declined to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles in its ongoing war with Russia, Axios reports. While Trump signaled a willingness to provide the missiles as recently as Friday, the U.S. president now believes that providing Tomahawk missiles could serve as an escalation, and ultimately hamper his efforts to bring the nearly four-year war to an end.
Ukraine’s Tomahawks in limbo
On Friday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, the two leaders’ fifth such meeting since January. Initially, Trump said he was considering a deal that would see American-made Tomahawk missiles sent to Kyiv in exchange for Ukrainian-made drones.
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At the same time, however, Trump also stressed the need for the U.S. to retain its military capabilities. “Tomahawks are a big deal,” Trump told reporters at the time. “But one thing I have to say, we want Tomahawks, also. We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.”
Tomahawk missiles have a range of about 995 miles and could allow Ukraine to hit deep into Russian territory. Currently, the Ukrainian military has access to ERAM and ATACMS, which have ranges of 285 and 186 miles, respectively. Russia, meanwhile, has access to not only its own long-range missiles but also those produced by North Korea and Iran.
During a Friday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelenskyy told host Kristen Welker, “It’s good that President Trump didn’t say no, but for today, didn’t say yes.” He added, “I count on the continuation of this dialogue.”
Speaking to Axios, two sources familiar with Zelenskyy’s White House meeting described the interaction as “not easy” and “bad.”
“Nobody shouted, but Trump was tough,” one source said. The other added, “Trump gave several strong statements during the meeting and at some points it got a bit emotional.”
Trump balances Russian aggression, Ukrainian needs
Meanwhile, on Friday, Trump suggested in a post to Truth Social that he told Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin that “it is time to stop the killing.”
“They should stop where they are,” Trump said in reference to Ukraine and Russia’s current frontlines. “Let both claim Victory, let History decide! No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent.”
The U.S. president also said he hopes the war can be brought to a close “without thinking about Tomahawks.” That comment came after Trump and Putin’s phone call, during which the Russian president reportedly told Trump that if America were to give Ukraine Tomahawk missiles, it wouldn’t “change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries.”
While Ukraine awaits a final verdict on its potential weapons shipments, Trump will meet with Putin in Hungary in the next couple of weeks. Trump did not say when the meeting would take place. However, he did say that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet Russian officials next week to discuss ending the war.
