As President Donald Trump hardens his position toward Moscow and seeks new ways to bring the conflict to an end, he is leaving open the prospect of allowing shipments of longer-range missiles to the country that would allow it to strike deeper into Russia, according to officials familiar with the matter.
In conversations with European allies over the past several weeks, Trump has not ruled out allowing certain offensive weapons into Ukraine, including products Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously requested from the United States but not yet received, the officials said.
Trump has also asked about Ukraine’s ability to carry out strikes deep inside Russia in recent weeks in an effort to increase pressure on the Kremlin to drive an end to the war, according to a source briefed on the conversation.
In a recent phone call with Zelensky, Trump asked about Ukraine’s ability to hit both Moscow and St. Petersburg, the source said, a question first reported by the Financial Times.
A US official and a White House official said the question was one of many the president asked about the conflict on the call, and seemed to be raised in passing.
But the Ukrainians were stunned and took Trump’s ideas seriously. Zelensky said that the strikes could be carried out if the Ukrainians had the weapons needed, the first source said. After the conversation, there has been follow-up discussion between Ukraine, other European countries and the US about long-range systems that could be given to Ukraine, the source said.
Ukraine has already been reaching Moscow and the St. Petersburg area with drone strikes.
After the Financial Times reported on Trump’s question, the White House said Trump’s words had been taken out of context.
“President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He’s working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN.
The episode underscores the current dynamic between the two countries, as Zelensky works tirelessly to get Trump’s ear and does not want to squander what might be limited support and engagement from the United States.
On Monday, Trump’s NATO envoy Matt Whitaker said the immediate focus on shipping weapons to Ukraine was on defensive systems, like the Patriot missile batteries. But he didn’t rule out providing offensive weapons.
“All weapons are both offensive and defensive,” he said. “Obviously an air defense system is important and critical for the situation, but at the same time we’re not taking anything off the table.”
At the end of his term, President Joe Biden allowed shipments of powerful long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to Ukraine for use inside Russia, though those weapons would not be able to reach the two cities Trump questioned Zelensky about in his phone call.
Trump called the move “stupid” and a “big mistake,” and questioned why he wasn’t consulted as he was preparing to take office.
Ukraine has also previously requested — but not yet received – Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, or JASSMs, which are fired from F-16 fighter jets. European nations have previously provided those jets to Ukraine.
For now, however, the priority appears to be getting Ukraine air defense systems — namely, the Patriot batteries that can intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Those products will be the first to enter the new weapons pipeline that Trump announced Monday involving European nations purchasing the products and then transferring them to Ukraine.
The weapons will be available to ship quickly from existing stockpiles in Europe, and will likely be backfilled by new purchases from the US by European nations.
“When it comes to ammunition and missiles, we will work on this from now on, every hour, making sure that the stuff gets into Ukraine. But of course, we know it’s not only Patriots,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday, citing other systems used to intercept cruise missiles as essential to Ukraine’s defenses.
“This is really discussing everything the US can still deliver without hurting the defense of the US itself,” he said.
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