US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is not currently considering providing long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for use against Russia, as he does not want the war to escalate. Trump made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday (2 November), according to a report by the British news agency Reuters.
Trump said he has shown no interest in a plan under which the United States would sell Tomahawk missiles to NATO member states and those states would then send them to Ukraine.
While flying from Palm Beach, Florida to Washington, reporters asked him whether he was considering any missile-sale agreement.
In response, Trump said, “No, not really.” However, he added that he could change his mind.
During a meeting at the White House on 22 October, Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte discussed the matter of Tomahawk missiles. On Friday, Rutte said the issue is under review and that the decision rests with the United States.
The Tomahawk missile has a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles), enough to strike deep inside Russian territory, even Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested these missiles. But Russia has warned strongly against any arrangement to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine.
