Trump, Zelenskiy to talk air defence, new weapons
President Donald Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a working lunch, three sources familiar with the planning said, as discussions intensified about the potential supply of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kiev.
The two leaders met on Saturday and Sunday, and a high-level Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is scheduled to arrive in Washington ahead of Friday’s meeting to lay the groundwork for talks between the leaders.
The main topics are expected to include air defense, additional US weapons for Kiev and Russia’s potential return to the negotiating table, said one of the sources, who, like others, requested anonymity because the visit has not been made public.
Zelenskiy has been lobbying in Washington for the supply of US-made Tomahawk missiles, which are capable of hitting Moscow but which the Ukrainians say will be used only on military targets.
He told reporters in Kiev on Monday that he shared a “vision” with Trump about how many U.S. Tomahawk missiles Ukraine needed for its war effort, adding that the two leaders would discuss more details on the issue on Friday.
Moscow said such a move would represent serious tensions.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that the supply of US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could end badly for everyone, especially President Trump.
Medvedev, the arch-hawk who has repeatedly provoked Trump on social media, said it was impossible to distinguish between Tomahawk missiles carrying nuclear warheads and conventional missiles after launch; This is a point that President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman also emphasized.
“How should Russia respond? Absolutely!” Medvedev spoke on Telegram as if implying that Moscow’s response would be nuclear.
Trump said he was considering sending Tomahawks to Ukraine, but he also said he could talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about it on Sunday.
“Yes, I can tell him (Putin), if the war is not resolved, we may very well do this,” Trump said.
“We may not be able to do it, but we can… Do they want tomahawks heading towards them? I don’t think so.”
Medvedev wrote: “We can only hope that this is another empty threat… Like sending nuclear submarines closer to Russia.”
He was referring to Trump’s statement in August that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to approach Russia in response to what he called “highly provocative” comments by Medvedev about the risk of war.
Putin said that providing Ukraine with Tomahawks, which have a range of 2,500 km and can therefore attack anywhere in European Russia, including Moscow, would disrupt relations between the United States and Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine will use Tomahawk missiles only for military purposes and will not attack civilians in Russia if the United States provides them.
Ukraine and the United States are also approaching a major drone agreement in which Ukraine will share drone technology with the United States. European diplomats see such a deal as an important tool to keep the mercurial US president committed and supportive of Ukraine.
