Trump told Zelenski that he is willing to provide new long -range weapons. Follow a major Washington policy change?
The US President Donald Trump has a bilateral meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, in the margin of the General Assembly of the United Nations on New York, on September 23, 2025. Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Profimedia
US President Donald Trump told Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenski that he is willing to raise the restrictions on Kiev's use of long-range weapons made in the US to hit Russia, but without assuming a concrete commitment in this regard, reports the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
Both an Ukrainian and a high American official confirmed for Wall Street Journal that this was approached during this week's meeting. It would be for the first time that the US president shows openness to the possibility of Ukraine use American missiles that can hit Moscow, which would be a huge policy change for the Washington administration.
In the private discussion on Tuesday, September 23, in the margin of the UN General Assembly, in New York, Zelenski asked Trump several long -range rockets and approving the use of these weapons to hit Russia.
Trump replied that he did not oppose the idea, but both Wall Street Journal cited officials have stressed that the US president has not made any commitment to revoke the US prohibition.
The meeting with the closed doors between the White House leader and the Kiev leader took place shortly after the speech that Trump held from the UN Tribune and in which he criticized Russian Vladimir Putin for “his defective leadership” and seemed to change his position on the possibility of Ukraine.
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In an interview given on the American Axios, Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenski confirmed that he asked the US president with long-range weapons.
Specifically, Zelenski explained, asked Trump an additional armament system that could force Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter into peace negotiations. He did not name that armament system, but said that if Russia knew that Ukraine holds it, the pressure for negotiations would increase considerably.
According to sources quoted by Axios, but also by the British newspaper The Telegraph, Zelenski has applied for cruise missiles Tomahawk, which have an action ray of over 2,400 kilometers.
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The Trump administration, therefore, in consideration – according to sources quoted by Wall Street Journal – providing Tomahawk missiles and other long -range weapons.
WSJ sources have also informed that Ukrainian officials will go to Washington next week for discussions with American Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth.
For months, Donald Trump's administration has rejected the idea of Ukraine using long -range American rockets, including Atacms to hit Russia.
In fact, Ukraine has repeatedly requested Washington to provide long-range weapons. Former President Joe Biden rejected a similar request from Zelenski, considering that he could lead to a significant escalation of the conflict.
The American part – explains the Axios publication – could be worried about the prospect of tension if Washington provides such a rocket that can target Moscow, as well as its own limited stocks of Tomahawk, whose refueling takes many months.
“We will work on this”
Ukrainian leader Volodimir Zelenski told in the interview for axious about the discussion with the American counterpart. Zelenski said he has the explicit support of President Donald Trump to hit Russian targets, such as energy infrastructure and weapon factories.
According to Zelenski, Trump said in Tuesday that Ukraine should respond to Russian attacks with the same currency. “If they will attack our energy, President Trump claims that we can answer (with attacks) on energy,” Zelenski explained.
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Trump said the same about drone factories or missile bases, although they are well defended, Zelenski said.
He mentioned that Ukraine already has drones that can hit deep inside Russia, but also said that there is an additional weapon system it wants and would speed up the end of the war.
“President Trump knows, I told him what we need-one thing,” Zelenski added.
“We need it, but that does not mean that we will use it,” the Ukrainian leader continued. “Because, if we have it, I think it will be additional pressure on Putin to sit at the negotiation table.”
Zelenski let it be understood that conditions regarding the use of the system by Ukraine could be imposed, depending on how Russia behaves.
According to Zelenski, Trump replied, “We will work on this,” when he asked for the new weapon system.
An Ukrainian official, but also another source to the Trump-Zenski discussion, then confirmed for Axios that Zelenski was referring to Tomahawk-a long-range precision missile.
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