Trump did not urge Zelenskyy to launch attacks deep inside Russia - White House

Background

Earlier today, the Financial Times published a report claiming that during a private conversation, Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to intensify strikes on Russian territory and asked whether Kyiv could target Moscow.

According to the outlet, the conversation took place on July 4. Two sources familiar with the exchange told the Financial Times that Trump asked Zelenskyy whether Ukraine was prepared to strike military targets deep inside Russia if the United States provided the necessary weapons.

"Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?... Can you hit St Petersburg too?" Trump reportedly asked.

Zelenskyy allegedly replied: "Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons."

What the White House says

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, President Trump did not call for further killings — his remarks were taken out of context.

"President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war," she said.

Leavitt also criticized the Financial Times, saying the outlet is "notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks because their paper is dying."

Shift in Trump's approach to Russia

In recent days, Donald Trump has again expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin over the lack of progress in peace talks concerning the war in Ukraine. He warned that if no agreement is reached within 50 days, the United States would introduce new secondary tariffs.

Previously, Trump stated that Putin was feeding him complete nonsense and said he is seriously considering a sanctions bill proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham. The legislation calls for 500% import tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil, gasoline, or petrochemical products.

Read our in-depth article for more on how Trump's stance toward Putin and Russia is evolving — and whether his threats could help bring the war to an end.