Zelenskyy made the remarks during his daily video address, where he argued that military strength could lead to diplomatic openings. “This signals that this very issue — the issue of our deep strike capabilities — may hold the indispensable key to peace,” he added.
He met Trump in Washington last Friday in what he described as a “positive” meeting, despite not receiving a commitment to supply the weapons. Tomahawk missiles have a range of about 1,000 miles and are considered critical for striking Russian military and energy infrastructure deep inside the country.
Trump, speaking just before the meeting, said, “It’s not easy for us to give … you’re talking about massive numbers of very powerful weapons.” He added, “So, that’s one of the things we’ll be talking about — hopefully, they won’t need it, hopefully, we’ll be able to get the war over with, without thinking about Tomahawks.”
Zelenskyy stressed the military value of the weapons and their effect on Russian calculations. “The greater Ukraine’s long-range reach, the greater Russia’s willingness to end the war. These weeks reaffirmed it. The discussion on Tomahawks turned out to be a major investment in diplomacy — we forced Russia to reveal that Tomahawks are precisely the card they take seriously,” he said.
He also confirmed continued talks with Western allies. “We will continue engaging with Europeans and Americans on long-range capabilities,” Zelenskyy said. “Air defense is, of course, the top priority.”
The Ukrainian president said the U.S. and Ukraine are finalising a long-term deal to supply Kyiv with 25 Patriot air defence systems. Meanwhile, Trump has said he plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “within two weeks or so” as part of his efforts to end the war.
However, a White House official told The Hill there are currently “no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.” Following a recent call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the official said, “Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”
Source: The Hill.
