In an interview with Axios on Wednesday, Zelensky confirmed he had requested additional weapons during Tuesday’s meeting with Trump, saying they were needed to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into peace talks. He declined to name the system, but Ukrainian and US sources told Axios and the Telegraph it was Tomahawk missiles.
“We need this, but it does not mean we will use it. If we have it, I think it will be additional pressure on Putin to sit down and talk,” Zelenski said.
The US has previously resisted transferring Tomahawks, which have a range of about 1,600 km, far beyond the capabilities of the ATACMS missiles already supplied. Axios said Ukraine has raised the request multiple times over the past year, but Trump opposed approving their sale even to NATO allies for onward transfer to Kyiv.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted infrastructure and military facilities inside Russia with long-range drones. “In less than two months, 85 important targets in Russia were struck, including 33 military sites,” Ukraine’s armed forces chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, told reporters on Friday. He said the attacks had triggered a fuel crisis in Russia and forced its navy to shelter in port.
Syrskyi added that Ukraine would soon establish a new Drone Air Defence branch and noted Russian forces along the 1,250 km active frontline number about 712,000 troops.
Meanwhile, the US Defense Department signed three new contracts to bolster Ukraine’s capabilities, Defence Blog reported. The deals include USD 15 million for counter-drone systems and training, USD 163 million for Mobile Strike Force Vehicles from Textron Systems, and deliveries of M110 sniper rifles.
European Union funds are covering U.S. arms transfers to Kyiv. During an August 19 visit to Washington, Zelenski offered to buy American weapons worth USD 100 billion as part of security guarantees for Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.
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Source: PAP