A Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is launched from the guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George on March 23, 2003 — Reuters file photo WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters): US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he may offer long-range Tomahawk missiles that could be used by Kyiv if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not end the war in Ukraine.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to Israel that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed Zelenskiy's request for weaponry, including Tomahawks. They spoke by phone on Saturday and Sunday.
Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), long enough to strike deep inside Russia, including Moscow. The Kremlin has warned against any provision of Tomahawks to Ukraine, and Trump on Sunday said they would be "a new step of aggression" if introduced into the war.
The United States would not sell missiles directly to Ukraine, but provide them to NATO, which can then offer them to the Ukrainians, Trump said. "Yeah, I might tell him (Putin), if the war is not settled, we may very well do it," he said. "We may not, but we may do it. … Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so."
Zelenskiy said earlier that Ukraine would only use Tomahawk missiles for military purposes and not attack civilians in Russia, should the U.S. provide them.
"We never attacked their civilians. This is the big difference between Ukraine and Russia," the Ukrainian leader said on the Fox News "Sunday Briefing" program. "That's why, if we speak about long-range (missiles), we speak only about military goals."
Zelenskiy's comments, which were recorded on Saturday, aired on Sunday after his second talks in as many days with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian leader said they are still discussing the possibility that Washington might provide Kyiv with the long-range missiles.
Trump said last week that before agreeing to provide Tomahawks he wants to know how Ukraine would use them because he does not want to escalate the war between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskiy said he was still working on trying to convince Trump to approve a missile deal.
Russia said Monday that there were currently no plans for a call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, after the US leader warned he might send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Trump has been mulling potential supplies of the long-range missiles to Kyiv via European allies since his meeting with Putin in Alaska in August failed to produce a peace deal.
He said Sunday that he might warn Putin about the possible deliveries if Russia does not halt its offensive. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "There are no clear agreements on a phone conversation yet.
"There are many opportunities for promptly organising such a conversation," if it was needed, he added. Russia has repeatedly said it would see supplying the weapon as a significant escalation.
© 2026 - All Rights with The Financial Express
