Trump tells Zelenskyy he’s reluctant to sell Ukraine Tomahawk missiles

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Alex Brandon/AP)

Donald Trump has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he is leaning against selling long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, but offered optimism that the war is moving towards an end that would mitigate a need for the powerful weapon.

Mr Zelenskyy at the start of the White House talks said he had a “proposition” in which Ukraine could provide the US with its advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv the long-range cruise missiles that Ukrainian officials say they need to motivate Russian President Vladmir Putin to get serious about peace talks.

But Mr Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the US Tomahawk supply, a turnabout after days of suggesting he was seriously considering sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia’s invasion.

We'd much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We'd much rather have the war be over, to be honest

“I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace,” the US president said.

He added: “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over, to be honest.”

Mr Zelenskyy and his senior aides met Mr Trump and his team over lunch, a day after the US leader and Mr Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict.

The Ukrainian president congratulated Mr Trump over last week’s ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and said the US leader now has “momentum” to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“President Trump now has a big chance to finish this war,” Mr Zelenskyy added.

Mr Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Tomahawks is disappointing to the Ukrainians. In recent days, he had shown an openness to selling Ukraine the Tomahawks, even as Mr Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship.

A Tomahawk cruise missile (Alamy/PA)

But after Thursday’s call with Mr Putin, Mr Trump began downplaying the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about 995 miles.

Mr Zelenskyy had been seeking the Tomahawks, which would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. He has argued that the potential for such strikes would help compel Mr Putin to take Mr Trump’s calls for direct negotiations to end the war more seriously.

The Russian leader warned Mr Trump that supplying Kyiv with the Tomahawks “won’t change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries”, according to Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin’s foreign policy adviser.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said that talk of providing Tomahawks had already served a purpose by pushing Mr Putin into talks. “The conclusion is that we need to continue with strong steps. Strength can truly create momentum for peace,” Mr Sybiha said.

Mr Zelenskyy also used Friday’s meeting to discuss the possibility of energy deals with the US.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/AP)

He was expected to offer to store American liquefied natural gas in Ukraine’s gas storage facilities, which would allow for an American presence in the European energy market.

Mr Zelenskyy previewed the strategy on Thursday in meetings with energy secretary Chris Wright and the heads of American energy companies, saying it is important to restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after Russian attacks and expand “the presence of American businesses in Ukraine”.

It is the fourth face-to-face meeting for Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy since the Republican returned to office in January, and their second in less than a month.

Mr Trump announced on Thursday after his call with Mr Putin that he would soon meet the Russian leader in Budapest to discuss ways to end the war.

The US president said on Friday that it was “to be determined” if Mr Zelenskyy would be involved in the talks in Hungary, suggesting a “double meeting” with the warring countries’ leaders is the most workable option for productive negotiations.

“These two leaders do not like each other, and we want to make it comfortable for everybody,” Mr Trump added.