Washington, Oct 17: President Donald Trump is now focusing on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine and weighing the supply of Kyiv long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. He will speak with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday as he considers Ukraine’s push for long-range missiles.Trump has been stymied by Putin as he has unsuccessfully pressed the Russian leader to hold direct talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the war that is nearing its fourth year. However, Trump is showing new confidence in making headway on ending the Russian invasion and signaling that he is ready to step up pressure on Putin if he doesn’t come to the table soon.
Trump is set to host Zelenskyy for talks Friday, their fourth face-to-face meeting this year. Ahead of the meeting, Trump has said he is weighing selling Kyiv long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory if Putin doesn’t settle the war soon. Zelenskyy said it would help Ukraine put the pressure on Russia needed to get Putin to engage in peace talks.
The US already approved the sale of up to 3,350 ERAM missiles to Kyiv earlier this year. The Tomahawk, with a range of about 995 miles (1,600 kilometers), would allow Ukraine to strike far deeper in Russian territory than either the ERAM (about 285 miles, or 460 km) or ATACMS (about 186 miles, or 300 kilometres).