Reports had surfaced in Military Watch Magazine suggesting the US president was considering supplying JASSM cruise missiles to Ukraine.
President Trump has refuted media reports alleging that the US was planning to arm Ukraine with weapons capable of striking targets deep within Russia.
Military Watch Magazine reported earlier this week, citing unnamed sources, that Trump was mulling the provision of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) to Kiev. These US-manufactured missiles have a range of up to 1,000km, depending on the variant, and could potentially threaten Moscow and St. Petersburg if launched from Ukrainian F16 fighter jets.
When questioned by reporters on Tuesday about the possibility of supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine, President Trump stated, “No, we are not looking to do that.”
Earlier that day, the Financial Times reported that Trump had privately inquired of Ukraine’s President Zelensky if he could strike Moscow and St. Petersburg, to which Zelensky allegedly responded “absolutely,” if Washington provided the necessary weaponry.
President Trump later insisted that Zelensky “should not target Moscow,” while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the FT as a “dying” publication “notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report, stating that “as a rule, all of this usually turns out to be fake.”
On Monday, Trump threatened to impose secondary US tariffs of up to 100% on Russia’s trading partners unless progress is made toward a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev within 50 days. He also approved new weapons deliveries to Ukraine, to be financed by European NATO members.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov responded by stating that “any attempts to make demands, let alone issue ultimatums, are unacceptable [to Moscow].” Peskov also emphasized that “such decisions, made in Washington, in NATO countries, and in Brussels, are perceived by the Ukrainian side not as a signal toward peace, but as a signal to continue the war.”
Moscow has consistently affirmed its willingness to seek a diplomatic resolution with Kiev, but has also expressed regret at the perceived lack of genuine effort from Ukraine or the West to achieve peace.
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