In private UN talks, Zelensky asks Trump for Tomahawk missiles, the Telegraph reports
President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked U.S. President Donald Trump to supply Kyiv with Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles, a request made during a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the Telegraph reported on Sept. 26.
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to Washington for long-range strike capabilities throughout the war, but the United States has so far declined to provide such weapons.
Zelensky told Trump that the advanced weapons system could help pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiations for a peace deal, according to multiple sources cited by the Telegraph. The Ukrainian leader later said Trump was open to the request, which, if granted, would give Ukraine the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow.
"We will work on it," Zelensky told Axios after their meeting, describing Trump's response.
The Telegraph reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged European counterparts to view Trump's shift on Ukraine policy "as positive as possible." Rubio also said Trump was "really angry" with Putin for disregarding his attempts to end the war.
It remains unclear whether Ukraine will secure the weapons.
The Tomahawk, with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers and a 450-kilogram (922 pounds) warhead, would significantly exceed the capabilities of any long-range system Ukraine has received from Western allies.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden rejected a similar request from Zelensky, deeming it too risky given the missile's potential to evade Russian air defenses and escalate the conflict.
Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, said Kyiv's request was a natural extension of its evolving arsenal. "If Russia has long-range cruise missiles, then Ukraine must have similar capabilities to strike targets at the same depths," Kuzan said.
The request comes amid signs of a shift in Trump's approach to the war. Following his meeting with Zelensky on Sept. 23 in New York, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form."
The statement marked a sharp change from Trump's previous comments, including an April remark that "Crimea will stay with Russia," and a peace proposal in August that included territorial concessions to Moscow. The peninsula has been illegally occupied by Russia since 2014.
Trump has since overseen a new NATO-financed program to supply U.S. weapons to Ukraine, with initial aid packages including Patriot air defenses and HIMARS rocket systems. He has also told European leaders that Washington will continue to provide arms for NATO allies to deliver to Kyiv.
The Trump administration approved its first U.S. weapons aid packages for Ukraine, funded by NATO allies under a new financial arrangement on Sept. 16. Days later, the first shipment of military equipment under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program arrived.
