Ukraine's request for Tomahawk missiles was "confidential information" between partners, President Volodymyr Zelensky complained on Oct. 30 after a leak in the U.S. media.
The New York Times reported on Oct. 29 that, according to undisclosed U.S. officials, the request for Tomahawk missiles with a range of 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) was part of the secretive "non-nuclear deterrence package" included in Ukraine's victory plan.
The sources told the outlet that Washington was unconvinced that Ukraine needed the weaponry and was reluctant to supply them due to their limited numbers.
"It was confidential information between Ukraine and the White House. How to understand these messages?" Zelensky said during a press briefing with journalists from Nordic countries.
"So this means (that) between partners, there is no (confidentiality)."
According to Zelensky, Ukraine requested the missiles on the condition that it would deploy them only if Russia refused to end its war and de-escalate.
"I said that this is a preventive method. I was told that it is an escalation," Zelensky said.
Kyiv has been trying to secure additional assistance from U.S. President Joe Biden before he leaves office in January. There are fears that Washington might scale down its support if Republican nominee Donald Trump wins the election on Nov. 5.
Facing Russian military advances and increasingly uncertain Western support, Zelensky pitched the five-step victory plan, containing steps that should supposedly end the war by 2025.
Some points of the plan were met with a lukewarm response from partners, with the White House still refusing to permit long-range strikes on Russian territory and several countries resisting a NATO invitation for Ukraine.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
