Trump walks back proposal to arm Ukraine with US weapon Russia fears
After weeks of speculation, Donald Trump has decided to smokebomb a potential deal that could have had major implications overseas.
US President Donald Trump has walked back the possibility of an agreement that would give Ukraine access to long-range Tomahawk missiles to use against Russia.
Tomahawk missiles are highly feared, precision-guided cruise missiles primarily used by the United States and several allied nations. They have been a central component of US and NATO strike capabilities for decades because of their accuracy, range, and versatility.
They represent a massive thorn in Russia’s side should Ukraine get access, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying the Kremlin were shaking in their boots once Trump mentioned the possibility.
Zelensky has campaigned heavily for the missiles, while the Kremlin has issued warnings against any move to provide them to Ukraine.
But after the initial hoo-ha, Trump has shown little enthusiasm for the proposal under which the United States would sell Tomahawks to NATO allies, who could then pass them along to Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One this week, Trump put his foot down.
“No, not really,” he said.
The US leader has stressed that he does not want to intensify the ongoing conflict by adding fuel to the fire. One of his major campaign promises was to bring about an end to the war, though his methodology has copped heavy criticism after suggesting Zelenksy give land up to Russia.
Last month, Trump urged Zelensky to strike a deal with Moscow. But barely a month before that, Trump had said he believed Ukraine could reclaim all of its territory.
Following his agreement to hold a new summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his stance appeared to shift. Zelensky, however, suggested that Trump could still reverse course and give Kyiv full backing to reclaim its territory.
After their meeting at the White House, Trump described the talks on social media as “very interesting, and cordial,” adding that he had urged both Zelensky and Putin that “it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL!”
“They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!” he wrote online while en route to his Florida residence.
Upon arrival, Trump told reporters that Ukraine and Russia should “stop right now at the battle line.”
“Go by the battle line wherever it is or else it gets too complicated,” he added.
As the leaders attempt to play mind games, the violence continues on the ground.
Overnight, Russia fired a wave of drones and missiles at Ukraine that killed at least six people, including two children. Officials said tens of thousands were without power following the attack.
Zelensky said the attacks, which also wounded a dozen other people, showed Moscow was aiming to “inflict harm” on civilians, announcing that Kyiv had beefed up its air defence in response.
Russia has rejected US calls to halt its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, instead pushing forward with its ground assault while renewing its campaign of strikes against Ukraine’s energy grid.
Kyiv said Saturday it had deployed special forces to the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where it is under pressure from an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops.
“Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa regions. Six people died, including two children,” the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general said on Telegram.
The children were two boys aged 11 and 14, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said.
Russia’s attacks cut power to the entire eastern Donetsk region, as well as almost 58,000 households in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, the regions’ governors said.
Kyiv says the strikes on energy infrastructure are primarily aimed at wearing down the country’s civilian population, a charge Russia denies.
The overnight attacks came a day after Ukraine’s top military commander announced he had deployed special forces to the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where Kyiv is under pressure from a Russian army thousands strong.
Hundreds of Russian soldiers have infiltrated the logistics hub, Kyiv said earlier this week.
Others are closing in on its outskirts in a pincer-shaped movement, according to battlefield maps published by the Institute for the Study of War.
The city’s capture would provide a major propaganda boost for the Kremlin, which has rejected calls for a peace deal on the current front lines.
“A comprehensive operation to destroy and displace enemy forces from Pokrovsk is underway,” Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said in a post on Facebook on Saturday.
Videos published on social media purported to show helicopters flying towards the city, while another purportedly taken by a Russian drone showed figures scrambling from a helicopter that had landed in a field.
Russia fired more missiles at Ukraine in overnight attacks during October than in any other month since at least the start of 2023, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Ukrainian air force.
Zelensky, who has been pushing his allies for more air defences to hold off Russia’s attacks, announced Sunday that Ukraine had strengthened its air defence network with Germany’s support.
“We have strengthened the ‘Patriot’ component of our Ukrainian air defence,” Zelensky wrote on social media, referring to the US-made advanced air-defence systems long coveted by Kyiv.
Without offering further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out Berlin and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for thanks.
-- with AFP
Originally published as Trump walks back proposal to arm Ukraine with US weapon Russia fears
