WASHINGTON: Donald Trump said Tuesday Ukraine should not target Moscow and that he had no plans to supply Kyiv with long-range missiles, following a report the US leader had encouraged President Volodymyr Zelensky to hit the Russian capital.
The Financial Times reported that Trump had brought up a potential counteroffensive with Zelensky and even asked his Ukrainian counterpart whether he could hit Moscow, if Washington provided long-range weapons.
Asked by reporters at the White House if Zelensky should target the Russian capital, Trump replied: “No, he shouldn’t target Moscow.”
He was also asked if he was willing to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles and said: “No, we’re not looking to.”
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Citing two people familiar with the call, the Times reported that Trump spoke to Zelensky on July 4, a day after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump also reportedly discussed sending Ukraine US-made ATACMS missiles, the Times said.
Trump, who had vowed to end the Ukraine war within a day of returning to the White House, has said he is “disappointed” in Putin, who has kept attacking Ukraine as if the leaders’ telephone conversations “didn’t mean anything.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt played down the Times report, saying in a statement that the paper was “notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks.”
“President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing,” she said. “He’s working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war.”
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