President Trump stated he isn’t “really” considering sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, despite reports that the Pentagon had approved the move.
When questioned about the missiles during a flight on Air Force One, Trump replied, “No, not really.” He added, “It can happen. I can change, but not at this moment.”
CNN reported that the Pentagon had cleared the deployment of Tomahawk missiles, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been seeking from the U.S.
The approval from the Pentagon was based on the conclusion that supplying these missiles wouldn’t adversely affect the U.S. stockpile, as per CNN.
Two European officials expressed their surprise at discovering a prior assessment from the Joint Chiefs of Staff revealed minimal reasons against sending the missiles, although Trump was still opposed.
“It’s not easy for us to give… you’re talking about large amounts of very powerful weapons,” Trump remarked before a meeting with Zelensky at the White House on October 17.
The following week, President Zelenskiy characterized his discussions with Trump regarding the missiles as “a great investment in diplomacy,” emphasizing that the Tomahawk was taken seriously by Russia.
Zelenskyy suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to engage in diplomacy with Ukraine had diminished because the Tomahawks weren’t supplied. He stated, “The front line could stimulate diplomacy. Instead, Russia continues to evade diplomatic efforts, and as soon as the long-range capabilities question ceased to be pressing, Russia’s interest in diplomacy almost automatically disappeared,” he indicated in a recent media address. “This indicates that the issue of our nation’s strong offensive capabilities may be key to peace.”
Russia has cautioned the U.S. that delivering missiles to Ukraine would represent a significant escalation. The Kremlin continues to utilize its own missiles against Ukraine, along with those sourced from North Korea and drones from Iran.
