U.S. President Donald Trump has encouraged Kiev to escalate deep strikes into Russian territory, even asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whether Moscow could be targeted if long-range weapons were supplied, reported Xinhua, quoting the Financial Times on Tuesday.
"Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? … Can you hit St. Petersburg, too?" Trump asked during the call on July 4, and Zelensky replied: "Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons," the Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the conversation.
The phone talk took place just one day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a conversation the U.S. president reportedly described as "bad."
According to the report released by the Financial Times, although it remains uncertain whether the United States will move forward with supplying the requested weapons, sources familiar with the matter said Trump appeared eager to explore more aggressive military options to pressure Moscow into negotiations.
The report added that the White House and Ukraine's presidential office did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump says Ukraine "shouldn't target Moscow"
Meanwhile, Trump said Tuesday Ukraine should not target Moscow, following a report stating that he had encouraged Kiev to escalate deep strikes into Russian territory, according to media reports.
"No, he shouldn't target Moscow," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House when asked whether he thinks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should target Moscow.
When asked whether the United States would send long-range missiles to Ukraine, Trump replied, "No, we're not looking to do that."
Asked if he was on Ukraine's side, Trump said he was on nobody's side.
- Trump
- Zelensky
- Russia
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
