Donald Trump has urged Volodymyr Zelensky to bomb Moscow in order to put pressure on Vladimir Putin and force him to the negotiating table. The US President’s relations with his Russian counterpart have visibly soured in recent days.
Trump has accused Putin of talking “a lot of bulls***” about Ukraine, as his frustrations with the Kremlin over a peace deal grow. On Sunday, the White House incumbent announced a new military aid package for Kyiv as he cranks up the pressure on the Kremlin, although he fell short of imposing new swingeing sanctions for now. Trump also reportedly urged Ukraine’s president to turn the screws on Putin in a phone conversation last week.
According to the Washington Post’s David Ignatius, the US president asked Zelensky: “Why haven’t you struck Moscow?”
Ukraine’s leader is alleged to have replied: “We can if you give us the weapons.”
Trump allegedly then said Zelensky should not limit attacks to Moscow but should also hit St Petersburg – Russia’s second largest city. Ukraine has attacked Moscow and its regions with drones, as it targets military supply lines and logistics deep behind the frontlines.
The US President is considering whether to send Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv, but as yet has not taken a firm decision on the issue. Tomahawks were used in recent US military strikes in Iran and if fired from Ukraine could reach both Moscow and St Petersburg.
Trump announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on Sunday as he met with Nato chief Mark Rutte in Washington.
The US President said Ukraine will receive more Patriot air defence systems capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles and “top-of-the-line weapons.
However, neither he nor Rutte went into details about the new weapons deal, other than to say it would include “missiles and ammunition”.
Trump saids he was holding off imposing new secondary tariffs of up to 100% on Russia for another 50 days. He told the BBC that he was “not done with Putin” yet, but expressed his disappointment with the Kremlin boss.