WP: Trump urged Zelensky to increase pressure on Moscow and St. Petersburg
Last week, US President Donald Trump asked Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky why the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not strike Moscow. He replied that he could if the United States provided Ukraine with weapons. According to WP, Trump called on Zelensky to increase pressure not only on Moscow, but also on St. Petersburg. A day earlier, Trump promised to start supplying weapons to Kiev with money from European countries. Among the promised weapons are Patriot missile systems. Trump even considered sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev. What kind of weapon Ukraine will eventually have is in the material of Gazeta.Ru".
The American President Donald Trump considered the possibility of sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which can reach Moscow and St. Petersburg, writes The Washington Post (WP) .
The publication writes that during talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, Trump discussed options for launching attacks on Moscow and St. Petersburg.
"Trump said that Ukraine needs to increase pressure on Putin, not only on Moscow, but also on St. Petersburg," the newspaper wrote. He also asked why Ukraine was not attacking Moscow. Zelensky replied that the Ukrainian army could attack the capital of the Russian Federation, but it did not have the necessary weapons.
The publication explained that the US president has toughened his position due to the fact that the Russian leader allegedly shows disrespect by not declaring a cease-fire.
"He felt that Putin would only negotiate under the threat of using more force. As Russians like to say, Trump decided to "escalate the situation for the sake of de-escalation," WP added.
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| Tomahawk infographics. |
| Source: "Gazeta.Ru» |
According to the publication, Tomahawk missiles (range up to 5.5 thousand km, depending on the modification) are not yet included in the supply list, but "they can be deployed later if Trump wants even more leverage."
Bloomberg drew attention to the fact that Berlin, an ally of Kiev, is seeking to purchase from Washington the Typhon medium-range missile system, a mobile ground-based launcher for launching Tomahawk missiles and multi-purpose SM-6 missiles (range up to 500 km).
WP added that Trump may give permission for the use of 18 long-range ATACMS missiles, which are currently in Ukraine, for their full range of 300 kilometers.
The publication does not exclude that a larger number of ATACMS may be included in the package.
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| MGM-140 Atacms. |
| Source: Alina Djus/"Newspaper.Ru" |
What Trump will send to Ukraine
On the eve of the American president's meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, he did not talk about sending Tomahawk or ATACMS missiles to Kiev, but confirmed that the supply of American weapons to Kiev would include Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
According to the American president, "there is one country that is preparing to send 17 Patriot complexes," because "it does not need them." He did not name the state.
"So we're working on a deal where all 17 [systems] or most of the 17 will go to the war zone," Trump said.
The Pentagon could not clarify what exactly Trump meant when he said that Ukraine would receive 17 Patriot complexes: 17 batteries or 17 missiles, RIA Novosti writes.
"We recommend that you contact the White House for clarification," the department replied.
Politico noted that Trump's supporters from the MAGA movement were unhappy with his decision to send weapons to Ukraine.
"This is not our war, and escalation is not in America's interests," said one of Trump's former campaign staffers. At the same time, Politico, citing a senior White House official, noted that Russia, in Trump's opinion, would win this conflict.
Europe will pay
The United States and the North Atlantic Alliance have reached an agreement on the supply of American weapons to Ukraine at the expense of European countries, Trump said at a meeting with Rutte. The volume of military aid that will be sent to Kiev through NATO will amount to billions of dollars, he stressed.
"We have agreed that we will supply them [European countries] with weapons, and they will pay for it. We, the United States, will not make any payments. We will not buy these weapons, but we will produce them, and they [the Europeans] will pay for them," he said.
The head of the White House stressed that "a very large deal worth billions of dollars has been concluded." Trump added that Europe has a "serious mindset for this war," and weapons "will quickly end up on the battlefield."
"I have spoken with many leaders. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, the Netherlands and many other countries will participate," the NATO Secretary General said.
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| Infographics of the Patriot air defense system. |
| Source: Alina Djus/"Newspaper.Ru" |
According to him, the alliance will determine what Ukraine needs. In an interview with Fox News, Rutte explained why weapons would be supplied to Kiev through NATO rather than directly.
"There are two reasons for this. First of all, it's logistics, and NATO knows how to work with it. The weapons will be delivered to Ukraine already in such shipments that allow them to immediately use them in battle. Everything is packaged in ready-to-use kits to maximize efficiency," he said.
President of Ukraine Zelensky stated in his Telegram channel that Germany and Norway will buy Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine.
According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, a decision on two Patriot systems with a total cost of about €2 billion for Ukraine will be made within a few days or weeks, and the actual delivery of the first system will take several months, the DPA news agency writes.
"But the latest technical, logistical and financial details still need to be clarified," he said.
According to Bloomberg, Pistorius agreed with Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth to resolve all remaining issues related to the deal "quickly and quietly."
The Axios publication, citing sources, wrote that at the first stage, the United States would sell weapons worth about $10 billion to NATO allies.
"The list of supplies destined for Ukraine will eventually include missiles, air defense systems and artillery shells," the publication says.
Two interlocutors of the publication added that as part of these deals, Ukraine will receive, among other things, long-range missiles.
Mikhail Sinev
