President Donald Trump reportedly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he was open to lifting certain restrictions on the use of certain U.S.-made weapons, signaling a potentially huge change in policy.
The president signaled that he would be willing to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia for the first time during a meeting between the two men at this week’s United Nations General Assembly.
A senior U.S. official and a Ukrainian official both confirmed the contents of Tuesday’s meeting to The Wall Street Journal.
It came following Trump’s lengthy speech to world leaders in New York Tuesday, in which he targeted Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his “bad leadership” and appeared to reverse his stance on Ukraine retaking territory occupied by the Kremlin’s forces.
“It shows you what leadership is, what bad leadership can do to a country. The only question now is how many lives will be needlessly lost on both sides,” he said.
During their subsequent meeting, the officials said Zelensky had asked permission from Trump to use the Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, to strike targets inside Russia.
The Trump administration has blocked Ukraine from firing ATACMS since the spring.
Trump reportedly did not outright reject the idea but did not commit to reversing the U.S. ban, which would allow Ukraine to strike much deeper inside Russian territory, the officials told The WSJ.
Zelensky asked Trump for Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can have a range of about 900 to 1,500 miles, according to an interview with Axios. The administration is considering granting the request, as well as providing other long-range weapons.
If the request for such weapons is granted, it would support speculation that the president’s attitude towards Ukraine’s involvement in the war is changing, having previously appeared to blame Zelensky and telling him “you’re gambling with World War Three,” in their now infamous meeting back in February.
In a post on Truth Social Tuesday, following his speech and sideline meeting with Zelensky, Trump wrote: “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.
“After seeing the Economic trouble (the war) is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
That would ostensibly require Kyiv to expel Russian forces from 20 percent of its territory, including the Crimean peninsula Moscow has held since 2014, in what would be an extraordinary reversal, according to Reuters.
Trump has previously suggested Kyiv should consider giving up territory in order to make peace.
