Latest news with #longrangestrikes
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Trump could authorize long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russia
US President Donald Trump is considering allowing Ukraine to launch long-range strikes into Russia using US-made ATACMS missiles, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing sources. According to the outlet, Trump could permit Ukraine to use the 18 ATACMS launchers that have already been delivered to fire at their full range of 300km. A source involved in the discussions told the Post that the decision would also likely include providing Kiev with additional ATACMS munitions. While ATACMS would not reach Moscow or St. Petersburg, they would allow Ukraine to strike military bases, airfields, and supply depots deep inside Russia that are currently out of range, the Post said. The report also noted that Pentagon officials have for months pushed for deeper strikes into Russia to undermine its military. The report follows Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Moscow in which he threatened to impose 'severe' secondary tariffs of up to 100% on Russia's trade partners if no progress towards peace is was first allowed to use US-supplied long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia by the Biden administration in the autumn of 2024, although reportedly under geographic restrictions. By January, however, Ukrainian forces had largely exhausted the stocks of ATACMS provided by Washington during heavy fighting with Russian forces, according to an AP report at the time. In some cases Ukraine has used ATACMS to strike civilian targets inside Russian territory. In the most widely covered incident last June, missile fragments fell on a beach in Crimea, killing four civilians and injuring more than 150. The Post also reported that Trump had a phone call with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky last week, during which the US president wondered why Ukraine had not targeted Moscow. However, the White House insisted in a statement to the outlet that the comments should not be taken out of context. Commenting on the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that 'as a rule, all of this usually turns out to be fake,' adding that 'sometimes there are indeed serious leaks, even in publications we once considered quite respectable.'
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Trump asked Zelensky if Ukraine could strike Moscow
Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelensky if Ukraine was capable of striking Moscow in encouragement of more long-range strikes inside Russia. The US president told Mr Zelensky that he wanted Ukraine to 'make them [Russians] feel the pain' and force Putin to the negotiation table, sources told the Financial Times. 'Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? ... Can you hit St Petersburg too?' the US president reportedly asked on the July 4 call. The Ukrainian president replied: 'Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.' Following the call, Kyiv received a list from US aides of long-range strike systems that could be made available via third-party transfers. Mr Trump has considered sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, according to reports. The strike cruise missiles are capable of hitting targets 1,600km away, which would allow Ukraine to strike Moscow. His proposal to arm Ukraine was unveiled on Monday, when he announced plans to supply billions of dollars of weapons to Ukraine by selling them to members of the Nato alliance, including the UK, France and Germany, who would then transfer them to Kyiv. Mr Trump threatened to punish Russia's main trading partners – countries such as China and India – with 100 per cent tariffs if Putin does not sign a peace deal within 50 days. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Putin intended to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engaged on his terms for peace. Three sources close to the Kremlin said that Putin believes Russia's economy and its military are strong enough to weather any additional Western measures. 'Putin thinks no one has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine, including the Americans, so he will continue until he gets what he wants,' one of the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. Despite several telephone calls between Mr Trump and Putin, and visits to Russia by Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, the Russian leader believes there have not been detailed discussions of the basis for a peace plan, the source said. 'Putin values the relationship with Trump and had good discussions with Witkoff, but the interests of Russia come above all else,' they added. Putin's conditions for peace include a legally binding pledge that Nato will not expand eastwards, Ukrainian neutrality and limits on its armed forces, protection for Russian speakers who live there, and acceptance of Russia's territorial gains, the sources said. Mr Zelensky has said Ukraine will never recognise Russia's sovereignty over its conquered regions and that Kyiv retains the sovereign right to decide whether it wants to join Nato. In a phone call with the BBC on Tuesday, Mr Trump said he was 'disappointed, but not done with Putin'. 'I thought we had a deal done four times and then you go home and you see he just attacked a nursing home or something in Kyiv,' the president told the BBC. When pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, Mr Trump replied: 'I trust almost no-one.'
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky threatens ‘long-range strikes' in Russia
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has threatened new strikes deep inside Russia, days after the US pledged to resume military aid to Kiev. Zelensky made the remarks after a meeting with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Aleksandr Syrsky, and Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov on Sunday. 'Our units will continue to destroy the occupiers and do everything possible to bring the war onto Russian territory. We are preparing our new long-range strikes,' Zelensky wrote on X. He added that Ukraine is preparing for a visit by US presidential envoy Keith Kellogg and will 'work with partners on arms deliveries and scaling up joint production of essential defense assets.' Among its recent attacks far from the front line, Ukraine targeted military airfields housing strategic bombers in several Russian regions last month. Ukrainian drones and missiles also repeatedly struck apartment blocks and other civilian infrastructure. According to Moscow, Ukraine was responsible for the passenger train derailment on March 31, which left seven people dead. The EU has allocated hundreds of billions of euros in recent months to expand its military-industrial complex and support Ukraine's domestic armament production. Berlin will provide Ukraine its first batch of long-range missiles financed by Germany in the coming weeks, Major General Christian Freuding, who oversees the coordination of the country's military support for Kiev, has said. US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the Pentagon will resume deliveries to Kiev, following weeks of suspension, and reportedly considers approving a first new aid package since returning to office. Russia has said that it views the use of foreign-supplied missiles as direct participation by Western states in the conflict and claimed that Ukrainian troops cannot operate sophisticated weapons systems on their own.
