Trump declined to give Ukraine Tomahawks

Washington (dpa) — Ukraine cannot hope to receive a delivery of US long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles for the time being, US media reported late on Friday.

US President Donald Trump reportedly refused to approve the delivery of Tomahawk missiles during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington, Axios and CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

The meeting was described as “not easy,” Axios quoted one source as saying. Another source even called it “bad.”

At times, the meeting became “a bit emotional.” According to CNN, the discussion was tense, frank and, at times, “uncomfortable.”

Zelensky had travelled to Washington hoping to secure approval from the United States for the sale of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which could allow Ukraine to take a more offensive role in repelling the Russian invasion.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression for more than three years.
While Trump has shown a willingness to discuss the Tomahawks, he has repeatedly stressed that the US needs the weapons for its own use.

In his first post on Truth Social after the meeting, Trump did not mention the Tomahawks at all.

At a press conference following the meeting, Zelensky cited a request from the US not to discuss the issue publicly, saying the US “doesn’t want escalation.” He added, however, that the matter was not off the table for him. “We have to work on it more,” Zelensky said.