'They want to go offensive' — Trump to discuss Ukraine returning war to Russia during meeting with Zelensky
U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss Ukraine's desire to "go offensive" in the war against Russia during their upcoming White House meeting, Trump said on Oct. 15.
Zelensky will meet Trump in Washington, at the White House's invitation, on Oct. 17. The visit marks the leaders' fifth in-person meeting since Trump returned to office in January. Zelensky and Trump last met in New York during the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23.
When asked about the agenda for Zelensky's impending visit, Trump said they'd be discussing Ukraine's strategy of taking the war back to Russia.
"They want to go offensive," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I'll make a determination on that, but they want to go offensive. and we'll have to make a determination."
Trump didn't provide details on what "offensive" tactics might look like, though he has previously floated the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, long-range cruise missiles capable of striking targets at a range of 1,600 to 2,500 kilometers (1,000 to 1,600 miles).
Trump said the U.S. was also "looking at other options" besides Tomahawks. He did not say what those options were.
In his remarks, the U.S. president also cast doubt on Russia's military strength. In comments directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump urged Russia to make a peace deal and said the dragged-out conflict was bad for Moscow's image as a great power.
"And all we want from President Putin is this: Stop killing Ukraines [sic] and stop killing Russians, cause he's killing a lot of Russians. Again, it doesn't make him look good," Trump said.
"It's a war that he should have won in one week and he's now going into his fourth year. That does not make this big so-called war machine look good. But he could make a settlement. We're wiling to settle. I thought we had a deal."
Trump alluded to his August summit with Putin in Alaska, which he claimed at the time marked a major breakthrough in the peace process, despite no ceasfire agreement being reached. Following the meeting, the peace talks fell apart, largely due to the Kremlin's refusal to meet with Zelensky.
Still, in his remarks on Oct. 15, Trump chalked the delay up to personal animosity between Putin and Zelensky, saying "the hatred of the two leaders" was "an obstacle" in the peace process.
Trump and Zelensky's meeting follows two phone calls between the leaders regarding Ukraine's air defenses and long-range capabilities in the wake of escalating Russian attacks.
While the Kremlin has claimed that the supply of Tomahawks to Ukraine would represent a dramatic escalation in the full-scale war, Russia regularly uses long-range missiles to batter Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
"We see and hear that Russia fears the Americans might provide us with Tomahawks, which signals that this kind of pressure could be effective in achieving peace," Zelensky said in his evening address on Oct. 12.
