Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the United States for Tomahawk missiles capable of striking targets in Moscow during a closed-door meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.
Source: The Telegraph, citing sources, as reported by European Pravda
Details: According to The Telegraph, Zelenskyy told his American counterpart that high-tech weapons would help bring Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table for a peace deal.
Advertisement:
Several sources told The Telegraph that the request was made during the “massively positive” leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
In an interview with Axios after the meeting, Zelenskyy said that Trump had responded favourably to his request for long-range cruise missiles that would allow Kyiv to strike targets in Moscow.
“President Trump knows, I said to him yesterday what we need – one thing…We need it, but it doesn’t mean that we will use it. Because if we have it, I think, it’s additional pressure on Putin to sit and speak,” the Ukrainian president said after his meeting with Trump.
Separately, diplomatic sources said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told European counterparts that Trump’s change of tone on Ukraine should be seen “as positive as possible”. Rubio also said the US president is “really angry” with Putin for ignoring his efforts to end the three-and-a-half-year war.
It is unclear whether Zelenskyy’s efforts to obtain Tomahawk missiles from the US will succeed, The Telegraph says.
For reference: Tomahawk cruise missiles have a range of 1,250-2,500 km depending on the modification, but export versions typically have a range of up to 1,600 km. They are a key means of long-range, high-precision strikes deep behind enemy lines.
Background:
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!