Trump comments on Tomahawks for Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has said he’s “not really” considering providing Kiev with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, suggesting Ukraine and Russia should be left to “fight out” the conflict.
Trump made the remarks on Sunday aboard Air Force One. He was asked about supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks following a CNN report that the Pentagon approved the move, concluding that it would not significantly affect US stockpiles.
“No, not really. Could happen, could change, but at this moment, I’m not,” Trump stated.
In recent weeks, Trump has sent mixed signals on Tomahawks while not completely ruling out delivering them. Moscow has warned against supplying the missiles, saying it would derail the US-Russia rapprochement process and damage bilateral relations without changing the situation on the battlefield in the Ukraine conflict.
“As the current situation and previous years have shown, it is clear that militarization and arms deliveries – especially to a terrorist regime – will not lead to a settlement. Moreover, such actions would contradict the campaign promises made by the current US administration,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Saturday, commenting on the CNN report.
The US president also suggested that the Ukraine conflict should simply be allowed to go on until the warring parties are ready to settle it. Asked whether there is a “final straw” for him that proves Russia is not willing to end the conflict, Trump said there is not.
“There’s no final straw. Sometimes you have to let it fight out. And they’re fighting, and they’re fighting it out,” he said, adding that the fighting has been extremely “tough” for both Kiev and Moscow.
Trump has long promised to mediate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and revived direct negotiations with Moscow early this year. These talks, however, as well as the renewed negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, have not led to a breakthrough. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with the lack of progress.
