'We need them too' — Trump hesitant on providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine following call with Putin, ahead of talks with Zelensky
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared noncommittal on providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine on Oct. 16, just hours before he is set to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington.
"We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too. We have a lot of them but we need them. I mean, we can't deplete for our country," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"I don't know what we can do about that," he added.
Zelensky, who arrived in Washington earlier in the day, is expected to press Trump for the transfer of Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine during a meeting scheduled for Oct. 17. The U.S. president has previously floated the possibility of supplying Kyiv with the cruise missiles capable of striking targets at a range of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,600 miles).
Trump's hesitation over potential deliveries come after a two-and-a-half hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 16, in which both leaders discussed the transfer of Tomahawk missiles, among other issues.
In a press briefing following the call, Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov said that the Russian president directly raised the matter of providing Ukraine with Tomahawks.
"Vladimir Putin reiterated his point that Tomahawks would not change the situation on the battlefield but would cause significant harm to relations between our countries, not to mention the prospects for peaceful settlement," Ushakov said, reiterating Putin's opposition the potential weapons transfers.
Trump rhetoric on weapons deliveries contrasts in tone with statement he made on Oct. 15 that Ukraine wants to "go offensive" in the war against Russia and that he will decide whether to approve such a strategy after meeting with Zelensky in Washington on Oct. 17.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added to the speculation over the potential weapons delivery on Oct. 15 with a cryptic remark that Washington is ready to "impose costs on Russia" in ways "only the U.S. can do."
Amid the mixed messaging on the missiles, the U.S. president has recently intensified his criticism of Russia, saying in September that Ukraine could win the war and regain all Russian-occupied territories lost since the invasion.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters following Trump's call with Putin that the U.S. president believes a meeting between Putin and Zelensky was "possible," adding that Trump "has not closed the door" on a potential meeting between leaders.
