Trump Leaves Door Open on Sending Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to Ukraine

President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin during their call on Thursday that he would not rule out sending long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, according to sources familiar with their conversation. While Trump is not expected to commit to providing the missiles during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, the US president has appeared more willing to allow Ukraine to obtain the missiles in recent weeks. The administration has drawn up plans to provide the missiles to Ukraine, but Trump is holding off, hoping to gauge Zelensky's intentions for using them.

Key Takeaways:

• Trump has not taken the possibility of sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine off the table during his call with Putin, according to sources familiar with their conversation.
• The US administration has drawn up plans to provide the missiles to Ukraine in case Trump gives the order to do so.
• Trump is holding off on committing to provide the missiles to Ukraine, hoping to get a better understanding of Zelensky's plans for using them.
• Zelensky and his top aides have described the missiles as potentially game-changing and a threat that could force Putin back to the negotiating table.
• Putin has argued that sending the missiles to Ukraine would require Americans to operate them and could significantly escalate the conflict.
• The US president is looking to bring the war to an end and is focusing on a diplomatic approach first, with the threat of sending Tomahawks to Ukraine as one tool at his disposal.

Statistics:

• The range of the Tomahawk cruise missiles is over 1,000 miles.
• Roughly 24 hours before Zelensky's meeting with Trump, Putin made a last-ditch attempt to intervene with the American president and halt all talk of sending the lethal US weapons to Kyiv.
• The two nations have a 14-day window to meet in Budapest, as agreed by Trump and Putin.
• Trump administration officials argue that the threat of sending Tomahawks to Ukraine is a tool to bring the war to an end and is not a guarantee.

Sources:

• US officials (CNN)
• Trump administration official (CNN)
• Putin (CNN)
• Zelensky and his top aides (various sources)
• CNN reporting (various sources)