US President Donald Trump indicated again he is not considering providing Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv -- which has pleaded for the long-range weapon it says is crucial to striking back against Russia as the Kremlin intensifies air strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One on November 2 if he was considering providing the sophisticated cruise missiles to Ukraine, Trump said: "No, not really," although he later added he could still change his mind.
Trump has at times suggested the United States could provide Tomahawks to Ukraine, although he has more recently appeared to oppose the idea. His latest response could further serve to dampen hopes in Kyiv of receiving them.
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On October 12, asked by reporters whether he would provide Kyiv with Tomahawks, Trump replied: "We'll see...I may."
"I might say, 'Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I may send [Ukraine] Tomahawks.' Russia doesn't need that."
"Do they [the Russians] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so," he added.
Five days later, though, Trump -- who has attempted to mediate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia -- told reporters he hoped the conflict would end "without thinking about Tomahawks.
Trump has also expressed concerns about relinquishing Tomahawks -- which have a range of 1,600-2,500 kilometers -- that might be needed for the US military's own requirements.
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RFE/RL
US President Donald Trump told reporters on October 6 that he had "sort of made a decision" about allowing Ukraine access to Tomahawk cruise missiles. If Washington does supply the advanced weapon, here is how it could change the battlefield dynamic between Moscow and Kyiv.
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"We need Tomahawks for the United States of America, too," he said. "We have a lot of them, but we need them. We can't deplete for our country...So I don't know what we can do about that."
However, CNN on October 31 quoted unnamed US and European officials familiar with the matter as saying the Pentagon had given the White House the green light to provide Ukraine with Tomahawks after determining it would not negatively hit US stockpiles. Neither the Pentagon nor White House commented onthat report.
Following a meeting in Washington on October 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Trump had discussed Tomahawks, but he appearedless optimisticabout the prospects of receiving the sophisticated missiles after the talks.
The Ukrainians didn't come expecting it to happen, so in that sense it's not exactly a disappointment, Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, told RFE/RL after the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting.
Russia Warns Against Tomahawk Deliveries
Moscow has previously warned Washington not to provide Ukraine with Tomahawks, with President Vladimir Putin saying such deliveries would represent a "completely new stage of escalation" between the United States and Russia.
