Trump warns Russia he may send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One. Picture: Evan Vucci/AP
US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Russia he may send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles if Moscow does not settle its war there soon
Mr Trump suggested he could be ready to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin’s government using a key weapons system.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, he said: “I might say, ‘Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks’. The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon. And honestly, Russia does not need that.
“I might tell them that if the war is not settled – that we may very well. We may not, but we may do it. I think it’s appropriate to bring up.”
Mr Trump said he mentioned possibly sending Tomahawks during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
“Do they want to have Tomahawks going in that direction? I don’t think so,” Mr Trump said of Russia.
“I think I might speak to Russia about that. Tomahawks are a new step of aggression.”
Mr Trump said on board Air Force One: “I really think Putin would look great if he got this settled” and that “It’s not going to be good for him” if not.
His suggestions followed Russia having attacked Ukraine’s power grid overnight, part of an ongoing campaign to cripple Ukrainian energy infrastructure before winter.
Moscow also expressed “extreme concern” over the US potentially providing Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Mr Putin himself has previously suggested that the United States supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington.
For his part, Mr Zelensky described his latest call with Mr Trump as “very productive”, and said the pair had discussed strengthening Ukraine’s “air defence, resilience, and long-range capabilities”, along with “details related to the energy sector”.
In an interview with Fox News Channel’s The Sunday Briefing after his call with the US president, Mr Zelensky was asked whether Mr Trump had approved the Tomahawks and said, “we work on it”.
“I’m waiting for president to yes,” Mr Zelensky said. “Of course we count on such decisions, but we will see. We will see.”
The Ukrainian president said on Friday that he was in talks with US officials about the possible provision of various long-range precision strike weapons, including Tomahawks and more ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published on Sunday that “the topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern”.
Mr Trump, who has been frustrated by Russia in his efforts to end the war, said last week that he has “sort of made a decision” on whether to send Tomahawks to Ukraine, without elaborating. A senior Ukrainian delegation is set to visit the US this week.
The US president in recent weeks has taken a notably tougher tact with Mr Putin, after the Russian leader has declined to engage in direct talks with Mr Zelensky about easing fighting.
Last month, Mr Trump announced that he now believes Ukraine could win back all the territory lost to Russia — a dramatic shift from his repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
But Mr Trump has resisted Zelensky’s calls for Tomahawks. They would allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory and put the sort of pressure on Putin that Zelensky argues is needed to get the Russians to seriously engage in peace talks.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
