Trump reportedly asked Zelensky if Ukraine could strike Moscow, White House says he wasn't 'encouraging further killing'
Editor's note: The story was updated to include comments from the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump asked President Volodymyr Zelensky whether Ukraine could strike Moscow if provided with long-range U.S. weapons, the Financial Times (FT) reported on July 15, citing two undisclosed sources familiar with the discussion.
The Washington Post also reported that, according to its source, Trump asked the Ukrainian leader why he had not struck the Russian capital. Zelensky allegedly replied that such an attack would be possible if the U.S. supplied the necessary weapons.
"Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? . . . Can you hit St Petersburg too?" Trump said, according to the Financial Times, reportedly encouraging the strategy so that Russia can "feel the pain" and agree to negotiations.
The news comes as Trump seems to be warming up to Ukraine after months of a rocky relationship, offering advanced weapons to the war-torn country via a deal with NATO and threatening Russia with "severe tariffs" if Putin does not agree to a peace deal within 50 days.
The conversation reportedly took place during a phone call between Trump and Zelensky on July 4, only a day after the U.S. president talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following the call with the Kremlin's chief, Trump complained he had made no progress toward peace and that Putin remained determined to continue his war against Ukraine.
Commenting on the FT's report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a statement to Newsweek, accused the newspaper of "taking words wildly out of context."
"President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war," she said.
According to the Washington Post, Trump considers authorizing Kyiv to use the 18 ATACMS missiles currently in Ukraine at their full range of 300 kilometers (about 190 miles) and supplying additional missiles.
The outlet also wrote that Trump previously considered supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles, weapons capable of striking Moscow and St. Petersburg, but their delivery is not on the table at the moment.
After the July 4 call between Zelensky and Trump, Ukraine was provided a list of long-range systems it could receive via third-party countries, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.
Speaking at the White House on July 14, Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Ukraine would be receiving significant military support under a new U.S.-NATO scheme, including missiles and Patriot air defenses.
Ukraine has previously received a number of ATACMS missiles from the Biden administration, though it was given permission to use them on Russian territory only in late 2024. Trump criticized the decision to ease the restrictions at the time.
Note from the author:
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