President Donald Trump said on Nov. 2 that the United States will not sell or trade Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for the time being, as concerns linger that such a move could lead to an escalation in the Russia–Ukraine war.
Asked by a reporter on Air Force One whether he was considering sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine, Trump replied, “No, not really.”
He added a moment later that he might change his mind but was not considering it at the moment.
Ukraine has requested that the United States provide Tomahawk missiles, a type of missile manufactured and operated by the United States that has an effective range of up to 1,500 miles. Being equipped with such weaponry would enable the Eastern European nation to strike within Russian territory.
In October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Ukraine would be willing to trade drones to the United States in exchange for Tomahawk missiles.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it would view an attack within its territory using missiles from Western countries as an escalation by Ukraine’s Western allies.
However, after a Ukrainian attack in Russian territory in November 2024 that used U.S.-supplied long-range missiles, Russia didn’t follow through on that rhetoric with an escalation against the West.
Nevertheless, Trump has long been ambivalent about permitting Ukraine to receive additional long-range missiles.
During an Oct. 17 meeting at the White House with Zelenskyy, Trump continued this pattern of ambivalence about his intentions on the issue.
When Trump was asked whether the United States would be interested in taking up Zelenskyy’s proposed trade of Ukrainian drones for Tomahawk missiles, Trump replied, “We would.”
But Trump also said during that meeting: “It’s not easy for us to give. … You’re talking about massive numbers of very powerful weapons. Hopefully they won’t need it. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks.”
Trump has also expressed concerns about the effect that transferring Tomahawk missiles could have on U.S. stockpiles and preparedness.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olga Stefanishyna told The Epoch Times on Oct. 16 that Ukraine is also undertaking negotiations with the United States on a technology-sharing deal.
The agreement “would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s cutting-edge drone technologies—across land, air, and maritime platforms,” Stefanishyna said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is also seeking energy resources from the United States after Russia intensified missile and drone strikes in Ukraine during October. These strikes destroyed more than half of the nation’s gas production, raising fears of freezing temperatures, power outages, and blackouts for Ukrainians this winter.
Ukraine has also been targeting Russian energy infrastructure in its strikes.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Nov. 2, Trump was also asked whether he has any “final straw” that would demonstrate to him that Russia isn’t ready to end the war in Ukraine.
“There’s no final straw. Sometimes you have to let it fight it out. They’re fighting it out,” Trump said. “It’s been a tough war for Putin. He’s lost a lot of soldiers, maybe a million—that’s a lot of soldiers. And it’s been tough for Ukraine. It’s been tough for all involved. Sometimes you have to let it, you know, just get fought out.”
Trump has been seeking an end to the war in Ukraine, proposing that both sides agree to accept new borders along the front lines of the conflict.
Although Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in October to meet in Budapest, Hungary, for a summit, that meeting was canceled on Oct. 31, leaving the next steps toward peace on the European continent unclear.
Emel Akan contributed to this report.
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