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U.S. President Donald Trump appeared reluctant to provide Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine just hours before a scheduled meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington.
"We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too. We have a lot of them, but we need them. I mean, we can’t deplete our [own arsenal]," Trump told reporters during a televised press briefing in the Oval Office.
"I don’t know what we can do about that," he added.
Trump’s hesitation over the potential missile deliveries followed a two-and-a-half-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day.
Russia has warned that U.S. deliveries of Tomahawks to Ukraine would escalate the conflict. The cruise missiles, with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, could reach deep into Russian territory from Ukraine, including Moscow.
According to a Kremlin readout, Putin told Trump during the call that while the delivery of Tomahawks “would not change the situation on the battlefield,” it would “severely undermine the prospects of a peaceful settlement” and damage bilateral relations.
Trump had previously indicated he was considering the request, citing stalled peace negotiations with Russia, but has so far declined to make a final decision.
Tomahawks are the latest offensive weapons Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested from the U.S. to counter Russia in the war.