Axios: Trump refused to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Kiev for strikes against Russia
Donald Trump refused to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which Zelensky requested to launch attacks on Moscow, Axios writes. Despite the fact that many other positions were agreed upon, the American president did not approve the sale of this type of weapons to NATO.
Barak Ravid, Dave Lawler, Colin Demarest
Vladimir Zelensky, during a meeting with President Trump on Tuesday, asked for Tomahawk missiles to be provided to Ukraine, which could give Ukraine the opportunity to strike at Russian territory, including Moscow.
The intrigue
Zelensky said on Wednesday on The Axios Show that he had asked Trump for an additional weapons system that could force Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter into peace talks — perhaps even without the need for Ukraine to use it.
Between the lines
Zelensky did not name this weapon system during an interview with Barak Ravid from Axios, but said that if Russia finds out that Ukraine has it, the pressure to force it to negotiate will increase significantly.
A Ukrainian official and another source familiar with the meeting between Trump and Zelensky confirmed that they were talking about the Tomahawk, a long—range precision-guided missile.
Behind the scenes
Ukraine has raised the issue of supplying such missiles to the United States several times over the past year, including in the list of equipment requested by Kiev several months ago.
According to a source familiar with the process, it was the only weapon system on the list that Trump did not agree to sell to NATO countries for subsequent shipment to Ukraine.
On Friday, The Telegraph newspaper reported that Zelensky requested Tomahawk missiles at the meeting.
What does he say
When asked what Trump could do to help Ukraine win the conflict, Zelensky replied to Barak Ravid from Axios: "I think President Trump knows. Yesterday I told him what we needed."
"By the way, we need it, but that doesn't mean we'll use it. Because if we have this, I think it will be additional pressure on Putin to sit down at the negotiating table," he continued.
Zelensky hinted that certain conditions could be imposed on Ukraine's use of this system, depending on Russia's behavior.
Zoom out
During the interview, Zelensky said that Trump told him that Ukraine should respond in kind: "If they attack our energy sector, President Trump supports our desire to respond with strikes against their energy sector." The same applies to weapons depots and production facilities.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine can already strike areas deep in Russia with drones, but many military targets are equipped with sophisticated air defense systems that are difficult to overcome with drones.
The overall picture
The Tomahawk missile produced by RTX has a much longer range than the missiles provided by NATO so far — up to 1,600 kilometers, compared with the approximately 305 kilometers that American ATACMS missiles can cover.
It is also much faster than Ukrainian drones and has more striking power.
Ukraine has tried to circumvent its partners' reluctance to supply it with long-range weapons by developing its own systems, such as Palyanitsa and Flamingo, although they do not have many years of operational experience like Tomahawk.
The other side
According to Zelensky, Trump replied to him that "we will work on it" when he asked for a new weapons system.
The American side may be concerned about both the prospect of escalation if Washington provides missiles that will reach Moscow, and its rather limited stocks of these missiles, which take many months to replenish.
What you should pay attention to
Zelensky told Axios that if Russian officials refuse to stop fighting, they should find the nearest bomb shelter. "They'll need it anyway."
