Trump tells Zelensky he’s reluctant to sell Ukraine Tomahawk missiles after warning Russia he might

US President Donald Trump signals to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he’s leaning against selling long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, while offering optimism that the war is moving toward an end that would mitigate the need for the powerful weapon.

Zelensky at the start of the White House talks says he has a “proposition” in which Ukraine could provide the United States with its advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv the long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles that Ukrainian officials say they desperately need to motivate Russian President Vladimir Putin to get serious about peace talks.

But Trump says he is hesitant to tap into the US Tomahawk supply, a turnabout after days of suggesting he was seriously weighing sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia’s invasion.

“I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace,” Trump says. He adds, “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over to be honest.”

Trump’s shifting rhetoric on Tomahawks is certainly disappointing to the Ukrainians. In recent days, Trump had shown an openness to selling Ukraine the Tomahawks, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship.

But following Thursday’s call with Putin, Trump began downplaying the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about 995 miles (1,600 kilometers).

Zelensky had been seeking the Tomahawks, which would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. Zelensky has argued that the potential for such strikes would help compel Putin to take Trump’s calls for direct negotiations to end the war more seriously.