Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked President Trump during their meeting on Tuesday to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, which could give Ukraine the ability to strike as far into Russia as Moscow.
The intrigue: Zelensky told "The Axios Show" on Wednesday that he'd asked Trump for an additional weapons system that could force Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter peace talks — perhaps without Ukraine even having to use it.
Between the lines: Zelensky did not name that weapons system during his interview with Axios' Barak Ravid, but he said that if Russia knew Ukraine had it, the pressure to talk would greatly increase.
- A Ukrainian official and another source familiar with the Trump-Zelensky meeting confirmed it was the Tomahawk — a long-range, precision-guided missile.
Behind the scenes: Ukraine has raised Tomahawks with the U.S. several times over the past year, including in a list of hardware Kyiv requested several months ago.
- It was the only weapons system on the list that Trump did not agree to sell to NATO countries on Ukraine's behalf, according to a source with knowledge of that process.
- The Telegraph reported earlier on Friday that Zelensky had requested Tomahawks in the meeting.
What he's saying: Asked what single thing Trump could do to help Ukraine win the war, Zelensky told Axios' Barak Ravid: "I think President Trump knows. I said to him yesterday what we need, one thing."
- "By the way, we need it, but it doesn't mean that we will use it. Because if we will have it, I think it's additional pressure on Putin to sit and speak," he continued.
- Zelensky alluded to the idea that conditions could be placed on Ukraine's use of the system depending on Russia's conduct.
Zoom out: Zelensky said during the Axios interview that Trump had told him Ukraine should respond tit-for-tat: "If they attack our energy, President Trump support that we can answer on energy." Ditto for arms depots and production sites.
- Zelensky noted that Ukraine can already reach deep inside Russia with drones, but many military targets have sophisticated air defenses that are hard to breach with drones.
The big picture: The Tomahawk, manufactured by RTX, has a much longer range than the missiles NATO has made available so far, flying up to 1,000 miles vs. around 190 miles for U.S.-made ATACMS.
- It's also much faster than Ukraine's drones, and packs a bigger punch.
- Ukraine has tried to circumvent its partners' unwillingness to provide long-range weaponry by developing its own systems, such as the Palianytsia and Flamingo, though they lack the decades-long track record of the Tomahawk.
The other side: Zelensky said Trump told him "we will work on it" when he asked for the new weapons system.
- The U.S. side might be concerned both by the prospect of escalation if Washington provides a missile that brings Moscow within reach, and about its own fairly limited stockpiles of Tomahawks, which take many months to replenish.
What to watch: Zelensky told Axios that if Russian officials refuse to end the war, they should locate the nearest bomb shelter. "They will need it, in any case."
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