While no final decision has been made, Ukrainian officials believe that the ability to hit strategic targets could pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into peace negotiations. Zelenskyy described the conversation as “very positive and productive.”
The Ukrainian president congratulated Trump on the Gaza ceasefire agreement and expressed hope that ending this conflict could pave the way to resolving others, including the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy also informed Trump about ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and welcomed continued U.S. support.
The leaders discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defence and ongoing bilateral agreements currently in progress. “We discussed ways to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, and specific agreements our countries are already working on,” Zelenskyy said.
On Monday, Trump told reporters that he had “in some ways made a decision” on the potential delivery of Tomahawks to NATO countries, which could then transfer them to Ukraine. However, he emphasised that he wanted to first understand how Ukraine planned to use the missiles.
Zelenskyy had previously requested Tomahawks during last month’s meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He told Axios that “just having these missiles could be enough to force Putin to negotiate, not necessarily using them.”
The Tomahawk missiles sought by Ukraine have significantly longer range and higher effectiveness than the weaponry currently supplied. Unlike drones, Tomahawks can strike well-protected strategic targets such as weapons depots from far greater distances.
Source: Axios.
