Trump asked Zelenskyy if Ukraine could hit Moscow if US provided long-range weapons: Report

US President Donald Trump reportedly encouraged Ukraine privately to step up strikes deep into Russian territory. He reportedly even asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy whether he could strike Moscow if the US provided long-range weapons.

According to a report in Financial Times, the conversation took place between the leaders on July 4. This is a sharp departure from Trump’s promise of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

This is, however, a sign of Trump’s growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dismissal of ceasefire talks proposed by the US President. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether Washington will actually deliver such weapons.

This conversation succeeded Trump’s phone call with Putin, which he described as ‘bad’. 

After that call, he asked Zelenskyy whether he could hit military targets deep inside Russia if he provided the weapons, according to the report that quoted people familiar with the conversation. “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? . . . Can you hit St Petersburg too?” Trump reportedly asked. To this Zelenskyy responded, “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons,” as per the sources.

Trump wants to “make them (Russians) feel the pain” and force the Kremlin to the negotiating table, according to the sources.

The discussion also led to a list of potential weapons for Kyiv being shared by the US side with Zelenskyy in Rome last week. The report added that during a meeting with US defence officials and NATO governments, Zelenskyy received a list of long-range strike systems that could be made available to them via third-party transfers, allowing the US to circumvent the congressional restriction on military aid by Washington.

The report added that Zelenskyy asked for Tomahawk missiles but the Trump administration had concerns about Ukraine’s lack of restraint.

Meanwhile, the US is providing Ukraine with Patriot air defence systems and interceptor missiles.