Aboard Air Force One (AP) — President donald trump On Sunday, Russia warned that it could send long-distance troops to Ukraine. tomahawk missile It suggests that Russia may be prepared to use major weapons systems to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin’s government if the war there is not resolved soon.
“I might say, ‘Look, if this war isn’t resolved, I’m going to send in the Tomahawks,'” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. flew to israel. “The tomahawk is an incredible weapon, a very offensive weapon. And to be honest, Russia doesn’t need one.”
Trump also said, “If the war doesn’t get resolved, we might tell them that we might do that.” He added, “I might not do it, but I might do it. I think it’s appropriate to raise the issue.”
His comments came after President Trump’s meeting with the president of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky, President Trump said that during that conversation he mentioned the possibility of sending Tomahawks.
President Trump said of Russia: “Do they want to move the Tomahawk in that direction? I don’t think so.” “I think we’ll talk to Russia about that,” he said, adding, “The tomahawk is another step in the invasion.”
his suggestion was followed Russia has attacked Ukraine’s power grid comes online at night, parts of it ongoing campaign Paralyze Ukraine’s energy infrastructure before winter. The Russian government also expressed “extreme concern” about the possibility of the United States supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
President Putin himself has previously suggested that the US supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine would seriously damage Russia-US relations.
Zelensky said his recent phone conversation with Trump was “very productive” and they discussed strengthening Ukraine’s “air defense, resilience and long-range capabilities” as well as “details related to the energy sector.”
“We’re working on it,” Zelenskiy said in an interview on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing” after his phone call with Trump, when asked if Trump had approved the Tomahawks.
“We are waiting for the president’s consent,” Zelenskiy said. “Of course we expect such a decision, but we will wait and see.”
Ukraine’s president said Friday that he is discussing with U.S. officials the possibility of providing a variety of long-range precision strike weapons, including the Tomahawk. ATACMS tactical ballistic missile.
“The Tomahawks topic is extremely worrying,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement published on Sunday.
Mr. Trump is dissatisfied with Russia’s efforts “We have made some sort of decision,” he said last week, without giving details, about whether he would send Tomahawks to Ukraine to help end the war. A senior Ukrainian delegation is scheduled to visit the United States this week.
The U.S. president has been significantly tougher on President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks after the Russian leader refused to directly discuss de-escalation with President Zelenskiy.
Last month, President Trump announced that he now believes Ukraine could bounce back All territory lost to Russia – a dramatic change from repeated Republican policy ask Kyiv for concessions end Russia’s Ukraine war.
But President Trump, at least so far, has resisted President Zelensky’s calls for the Tomahawks. That would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory and put the kind of pressure on Putin that Zelenskyy claims is necessary to force Russia to seriously engage in peace talks.
“I really think President Putin would look great if he could solve this problem,” Trump said on Air Force One during the war, and that if he didn’t, “that’s not good for him.”
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Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Aamer Madani contributed to this report from Washington.
