Moscow expressed “excessive concern” over the US doubtlessly offering Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Putin himself has beforehand prompt that the US supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine will critically injury relations between Moscow and Washington.
Smoke rises from an oil refinery in southern Russia after a drone assault in Might 2023.Credit score: Veniamin Kondratyev Telegram/AP
For his half, Zelensky described his newest name with Trump as “very productive” and mentioned the pair had mentioned strengthening Ukraine’s “air protection, resilience and long-range capabilities,” together with “particulars associated to the power sector”.
In an interview with Fox Information Channel’s The Sunday Briefing after his name with Trump, Zelensky was requested whether or not Trump had authorised the Tomahawks and mentioned “we work on it”.
“I’m ready for president to sure,” Zelensky mentioned. “After all we depend on such choices, however we’ll see. We are going to see.”
The Ukrainian president mentioned Friday that he was in talks with US officers concerning the potential provision of assorted long-range precision strike weapons, together with Tomahawks and extra ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg final week.Credit score: AP
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned in remarks printed Sunday that “the subject of Tomahawks is of utmost concern”.
Trump, who has been pissed off by Russia in his efforts to finish the struggle, mentioned final week that he has “form of decided” on whether or not to ship Tomahawks to Ukraine, with out elaborating. A senior Ukrainian delegation is ready to go to the US this week.
The US president in current weeks has taken a notably harder tact with Putin after the Russian chief declined to have interaction in direct talks with Zelensky about easing preventing.
Final month, Trump introduced that he now believes Ukraine may win again all of the territory misplaced to Russia – a dramatic shift from the Republican’s repeated requires Kyiv to make concessions to finish Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
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However Trump, at the least to this point, has resisted Zelensky’s requires Tomahawks. They’d permit Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory and put the form of strain on Putin that Zelensky argues is required to get the Russians to significantly have interaction in peace talks.
Trump mentioned aboard Air Drive One of many struggle: “I actually assume Putin would look nice if he obtained this settled” and that “it’s not going to be good for him” if not.
