After congratulating Trump on the Gaza peace deal, which was the right decision, Zelensky hoped to convince him to provide American Tomahawk missiles to defend against Russian aggression.
However, Trump appeared to have returned to his old views on Russia after a long telephone conversation with Putin a day earlier, the newspaper writes. He said that Putin is supposedly ready to end the war. “I hope we can end the war without thinking about Tomahawk,” the American president said.
He did not agree to Zelensky’s offer to give thousands of drones in return and said that the United States itself needs these missiles “for self-defense.”
The publication notes that one flattering call from Putin was enough to alienate the United States from Ukraine. “Trump insists that Putin is not playing to his advantage, but that is exactly what the situation looks like,” the publication says.
Finnish President Stubb, who once played golf with Trump, told Radio 4's Today program that Russia has “imperialism in its DNA” and that the only thing Putin and Russia understand is power. According to him, Russia cannot be persuaded to sit down at the negotiating table with the help of carrots – the time has come for the stick, writes The Times.
The publication notes that Tomahawk missiles could destroy the missile and drone bases that Russia is using to launch deadly attacks on Ukraine. They could also destroy oil and gas facilities critical to the Russian military machine. Without them, the war will drag on for another winter, the publication writes.
Context
Ukraine has long voiced to the United States the need for Tomahawk. Amid frustration with Putin over his reluctance to end the war, Trump began to consider the possibility of transferring these missiles to Kyiv. The New York Times wrote that the US Department of Defense has developed plans to sell or transfer Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine in case the head of the White House orders it. At the same time, Trump noted that he needs to know that Ukrainians will do with Tomahawk – “Where they will be launched.”
On October 17, during a meeting with Zelensky at the White House, Trump stated that he hoped to end the war, “not thinking about Tomahawk”. Zelensky said they decided not to discuss the transfer of these missiles to Kyiv for now because the United States “does not want escalation.” Trump also called on Ukraine and Russia to conclude a peace agreement and “stop where they are.” Zelensky agreed with this.
On the same day, a CNN interlocutor said that Trump was under the impression that “Ukraine is seeking to escalate and prolong the conflict,” and the US President is concerned about the likely losses “during the coming harsh winter.”
Ahead of the meeting with Zelensky, Trump had a telephone conversation with Putin. The American leader also announced their upcoming meeting in Budapest.
