Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky were unable to succeed in an agreement on long-range Tomahawk missiles because the US president warned of ‘escalation’.
The Ukrainian president made his third visit to the White House since January, Trump finished an hours-long phone call with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin by which they made ‘great progress’.
Zelensky has repeatedly been asking the US for Tomahawk missiles, which have the potential to hit Moscow if needed, with Pentagon officials confirming they were considering supplying them.
When asked earlier this week if Trump was considering giving Ukraine the Tomahawks, he said: ‘We’ll see… I could.’
But despite the apparent progress within the deal, Trump warned this evening the missiles might be an ‘escalation’.
What’s a Tomahawk Missile?
The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a long-range weapon launched from sea to attack targets in deep-strike missions.
It may possibly strike targets from 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away, even in heavily defended airspace – bringing Moscow into Ukraine’s reach.
The missile measures 20 feet (6.1 meters) long with an 8.5-foot wingspan and weighs about 3,330 kilos (1,510 kg).
Ukraine already has various domestically made and Western long-range weapons, including the Flamingo, Neptune and Harpoon.
The Tomahawk matches the Flamingo in distance, and can add to the country’s ability to defend itself because the Kremlin ramps up attacks.
He said: ‘I actually have an obligation also to ensure that we’re completely stocked up as a rustic, since you never know what’s going to occur in war and peace.’
He added Moscow was ‘rushing to resume dialogue as soon because it hears about Tomahawks’.
Each Trump and Putin are actually set to fulfill in Hungary ‘inside two weeks’.
The Russian leader warned Trump supplying Kyiv with the Tomahawks ‘won’t change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the connection between our countries’, in response to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser.
Ukrainian officials say the Tomahawks are needed to motivate Russian President Vladmir Putin to get serious about peace talks.
The Ukrainian president congratulated 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.
Zelensky and his senior aides met Trump and his team over lunch, a day after the US leader and Putin held a lengthy phone call to debate the conflict.
‘President Trump now has a giant likelihood to complete this war,’ Zelensky added.
Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Tomahawks is disappointing to the Ukrainians.
In recent days, he had shown an openness to selling Ukraine the Tomahawks, whilst Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship.
But after Thursday’s call with Putin, Trump began downplaying the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a spread of about 995 miles.
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