FT: Trump Encouraged Ukraine to Strike at Moscow

During a telephone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyi, US President Donald Trump privately urged Ukraine to intensify strikes deep into Russian territory.

The Financial Times reports this with reference to interlocutors.

He asked the Ukrainian president whether the Ukrainian military would be able to strike Moscow if the United States provided long-range weapons.

“Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? … Can you hit St. Petersburg?” Trump asked.

Zelenskyi, according to informed sources, replied:

“Absolutely. We can if you give us weapons.”

Trump, according to these individuals, supported this idea and said that this strategy is intended to “make the Russians feel pain” and force the Kremlin to the negotiating table.

The newspaper notes that it is unclear whether Washington will supply such weapons to Ukraine, but the discussion underscores Trump’s growing frustration with Russia’s refusal to participate in ceasefire talks offered by the US president, who once promised to end the war quickly.

A Western official briefed on the call said the conversation reflected a growing desire among Ukraine’s Western partners to supply long-range weapons that could “bring war to the Muscovites.”

He noted that U.S. officials had secretly expressed this view in recent weeks.

Earlier, Ukraine requested US Tomahawk precision-guided cruise missiles with a range of about 1,600 kilometers, the Financial Times reported. But the Trump administration, like the Biden administration, was concerned about Ukraine’s “unrestrained behavior.”

The day before, Axios reported that the first wave of U.S. arms sales to Ukraine through NATO countries is estimated at $10 billion. This list will include missiles, air defense systems, and artillery ammunition.