Zelensky shouldn't target Moscow, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump said during a briefing on July 15 that his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, should not strike the Russian capital.
Trump's remarks come after the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing undisclosed sources, that the U.S. president asked Zelensky during a phone call in early June whether Kyiv could strike Moscow or St. Petersburg if provided with long-range U.S. weapons.
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.
When asked if Zelensky should target Moscow or deeper into Russia, Trump responded by saying: "No, he shouldn't target Moscow."
Trump also told reporters that the U.S. was not planning to provide Kyiv with long-range weapons.
Commenting on the FT's report earlier in the day, 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.
The FT's reports came as Trump seems to be warming up to Ukraine after months-long rocky relationship, offering advanced weapons to the war-torn country via a deal with NATO and threatening Russia with "severe tariffs" if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace deal within 50 days.
When asked by reporters on July 15 why he gave Putin such an extended deadline, Trump said he didn't think it was a significant amount of time.
"I don't think 50 days is very long," he said.
In the past 50 days, Russia has targeted cities across Ukraine with multiple record-breaking drone and missile attacks in a dramatic escalation of aerial aggression. The mass attacks have killed and injured scores of civilians while overwhelming Ukraine's air defense capabilities.
Note from the author:
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