Bloomberg reported that on October 12 local time, US President Trump said he would consider providing Ukraine with "Tomahawk" long-range cruise missiles and may use them as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Putin to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

On the same day, Trump told the media while flying to Israel that he discussed this topic with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, saying, "We will see what happens next."

He added that during negotiations with Putin on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he might use the provision of "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine as a bargaining chip, "I might say, 'Listen, if this war isn't resolved, I might give them 'Tomahawk' missiles.' It's also possible I won't do it, but there is a possibility."

"Tomahawk" Cruise Missile, Informational Photo

Trump had phone conversations with Zelenskyy on both the 11th and the 12th. Zelenskyy stated that the two discussed matters related to "long-range strike capabilities," and called the two calls "productive." Trump mentioned that they also talked about Ukraine's need for more "Patriot" missiles, stating that Ukraine "urgently needs" more of these missiles.

Trump revealed that he had informed Zelenskyy that before actually delivering "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine, he might first issue a "threat" to Russia.

"Would they want 'Tomahawk' missiles flying towards themselves? I don't think so. Frankly, I think I might communicate with Russia about this," Trump said.

Trump said he tends to first provide American weapons to NATO member states, and then have these countries transfer them to Ukraine, but did not elaborate on the specific mechanisms he envisioned to advance the sale or supply of "Tomahawk" missiles.

Trump also mentioned that the US is open to Ukraine acquiring more American-made weapons, but only if this does not excessively deplete the US military inventory.

"Ukraine needs more weapons, and we are looking at how to help. We hope we can eventually deliver them. You know, our country also needs weapons, and we can't send too many out, leaving our own stockpiles insufficient. No one can be sure what might happen later," Trump said.

According to Axios, during the United Nations General Assembly last month, Zelenskyy met with Trump and requested the US to provide "Tomahawk" cruise missiles. He claimed that Ukraine might not even need to use these missiles, as simply possessing them would be enough to force Putin into negotiations.

Trump said on October 6 local time that he had "somewhat made a decision" - whether to sell "Tomahawk" cruise missiles to NATO countries so they could be supplied to Ukraine. However, Trump also said that before providing these missiles to Ukraine, he wanted to know how Ukraine planned to use them.

The report emphasized that the cruise missiles manufactured by the US have a much longer range than any missiles Ukraine has received so far, and compared to the drones currently used by the Ukrainian military for long-range strikes, they are more effective in destroying strong targets such as ammunition depots.

"This will lead to a breakdown in our relationship, or at least damage the positive momentum that has emerged in the relationship," Putin warned on October 5 local time during an interview with Russian journalist Zarubin. If the US provides Ukraine with "Tomahawk" missiles for long-range strikes into Russian territory, it will cause a breakdown in relations between Moscow and Washington. "This will mean the situation enters a new, qualitative escalation phase, including Russian-American relations," he said.

This article is an exclusive article from The Observer, and unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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