U.S. President Donald Trump holds an umbrella earlier than boarding Air Drive One, as he departs for Israel, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Oct. 12, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Russia that he could ship Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles if Moscow does not settle its struggle there quickly — suggesting that he could possibly be prepared to extend the strain on Vladimir Putin’s authorities utilizing a key weapons system.
“I would say, ‘Look: if this struggle isn’t going to get settled, I’ll ship them Tomahawks,” Trump informed reporters aboard Air Drive One as he flew to Israel. “The Tomahawk is an unbelievable weapon, very offensive weapon. And actually, Russia doesn’t want that.”
Trump mentioned, “I would inform them that if the struggle isn’t settled — that we could very properly.” He added, “We could not, however we could do it. I believe it is acceptable to deliver up.”
His feedback got here after Trump spoke by cellphone earlier Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Trump mentioned he talked about probably sending Tomahawks throughout that dialog.
“Do they need to have Tomahawks getting into that course? I do not suppose so,” Trump mentioned of Russia. “I believe I would communicate to Russia about that.” He added that “Tomahawks are a brand new step of aggression.”
His ideas adopted Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s energy grid in a single day, a part of an ongoing marketing campaign to cripple Ukrainian vitality infrastructure earlier than winter. Moscow additionally expressed “excessive concern” over the U.S. doubtlessly offering Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Putin himself has beforehand instructed that america supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine will critically injury relations between Moscow and Washington.
For his half, Zelenskyy described his newest name with Trump as “very productive,” and mentioned the pair had mentioned strengthening Ukraine’s “air protection, resilience, and long-range capabilities,” together with “particulars associated to the vitality sector.”
Trump in latest weeks has taken a notably harder tact with Putin, after the Russian chief has declined to have interaction in direct talks with Zelenskyy about easing preventing.
Final month, Trump introduced that he now believes Ukraine may win again all of the territory misplaced to Russia —a dramatic shift from the Republican’s repeated requires Kyiv to make concessions to finish Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
However the U.S. president, at the very least to this point, has resisted Zelenskyy’s requires Tomahawks. The weapon system would enable Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory and put the form of strain on Putin that Zelenskyy argues is required to get the Russians to significantly interact in peace talks.
Trump mentioned aboard Air Drive One of many struggle: “I actually suppose Putin would look nice if he bought this settled” and that “It is not going to be good for him” if not.
