Trump signals Ukraine should not expect immediate Tomahawk missile support
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The pressure of US President Donald Trump on Russia and Ukraine has managed to bring them closer to a truce. Trump wants a quick end to the conflict, according to The Wall Street Journal.
As the media outlet writes, despite Trump’s desire for a swift resolution of the conflict, Russia and Ukraine have made it clear that they are far from concluding a peace agreement.
According to American, European, and Ukrainian officials, Trump was blunt with Zelenskyy during their meeting. In particular, he expressed frustration, at one point refusing to look at the battlefield maps brought by the Ukrainians.
Trump allegedly told Zelenskyy that his main priority was to stop the war and clarified that he was not committed to any specific territorial outcome.
Moreover, according to two American officials, Trump told Zelenskyy that Ukraine should not count on receiving Tomahawks anytime soon.
Later, Trump admitted that it was much more difficult than he expected to bridge the differences between Zelenskyy and Putin.
"It’s turned out to be nasty, because you have two leaders that truly hate each other," Trump told reporters at the White House.
According to the newspaper’s sources, during the meeting with Zelenskyy, the US president stated that the return of Donbas to Ukraine is not a priority, noting that Russia already controls most of the territory. Trump told Zelenskyy that he seeks to resolve the conflict quickly, regardless of the region’s fate.
Tomahawks for Ukraine
After the meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy spoke to the press in a “question-and-answer” format. He confirmed that the issue of transferring Tomahawks has not been canceled but that the parties agreed not to discuss it publicly to avoid escalation.
Zelenskyy noted that Trump now better understands Ukraine’s need for Tomahawks and that the Russians fear not only the missiles themselves but also how they could be combined with other weapons.
According to Axios, Trump does not plan to transfer Tomahawks to Ukraine. A CNN source added that Trump believes Ukraine seeks to escalate the conflict.
US Vice President JD Vance also told reporters that a final decision on supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine has not yet been made, but the US continues to analyze the possibilities of providing the weapons to Kyiv.
