President Trump rejects Ukraine’s Tomahawk missile request
President Donald Trump has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he wants to avoid launching Tomahawk missiles, citing concerns about U.S. supplies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signaled his readiness to take part in President Donald Trump’s proposed summit in Budapest, but said the American president needs to be tougher on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” President Zelenskiy said President Trump needs to put “more pressure” on Russia, comparing it to the president’s recent involvement in the delicate ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“President Putin is similar, but stronger than Hamas,” the Ukrainian leader said, insisting that global pressure is needed to end the bloody war that began when Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
Zelenskiy in an interview recorded after Friday’s visit to the White House. He said he told President Trump he was “ready” to participate in talks to end the violence.
On the eve of Zelensky’s visit to the White House, Trump said he would hold a summit with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, to work toward an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, an announcement made after a phone call with the Russian president.
President Zelenskiy told “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Oct. 19 that President Trump did not approve Ukraine’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles in their recent meeting, but suggested it was not an outright rejection. He explained that President Trump “didn’t say ‘no,’ but he also didn’t say ‘yes’ today.”
The missile can fly 1,500 miles, giving Ukraine a significant advantage in the ongoing war and potentially opening targets deep into Russian territory, including military bases, logistics hubs, airfields, and command centers. Russia threatens a new and dangerous escalation with the West if the United States sells them to Ukraine.
Earlier this week, President Trump appeared open to providing long-range missiles to Ukraine, but that position appears to have changed on October 16, after he spoke by phone with President Putin and agreed to hold another U.S.-Russian summit in the coming weeks.
President Trump told reporters, “We need the tomahawk for America.” “We have a lot, but we need it. We can’t use it up for our country.”
The president expressed a similar opinion in an October 19 interview on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” telling host Maria Bartiromo that while he was “considering” Ukraine’s request, “we cannot give all of our weapons to Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy left Washington without an agreement on the procurement of American weapons, but expressed openness to a summit in Central Europe negotiated by the United States.
President Trump has long expressed a desire to end the nearly three-and-a-half year war. During his meeting with President Zelensky, President Trump said several times that he thought President Putin wanted a deal.
The last U.S.-Russian summit with Putin in Alaska failed to advance peace talks.
Contributors: Joey Garrison and Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml.
