Zelenskyy: Manufacturers ready to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine if Trump gives go-ahead. VIDEO
The final decision on providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine rests with U.S. President Donald Trump; if he approves, manufacturers are ready to begin deliveries.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, this was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a briefing.
"As I said, we are working on this issue with our partners — primarily with the United States, the White House, and the President. Separately, we are also working with manufacturers. We have emphasized that such a decision (on missile deliveries -ed.) would put additional pressure on Russia and is important for us. President Trump has not said ‘no,’ and various institutions have given us positive signals regarding this decision," Zelenskyy said.
Manufacturers await Trump’s signal
According to him, the final decision ultimately rests with the U.S. President. However, manufacturers are ready to respond promptly once the supply is approved.
"We have spoken with the manufacturers. If there is a positive signal from President Trump, they will gladly deliver or sell the respective systems," the president noted.
He added that during talks with the U.S. side, the issue of supplying other long-range systems was also discussed.
"We are interested in a comprehensive set of solutions. For us, this is a deterrence package against Russian aggression and the right response to strikes on our civilian infrastructure, particularly the energy sector. We are working on this, and there are definitely chances that we will receive (such systems -ed.)," Zelenskyy emphasized.
As a reminder, the day before, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, said Kyiv is holding positive talks with the U.S. on acquiring Tomahawk cruise missiles and other long-range weapons.
Talks between Ukraine and the U.S. on Tomahawk deliveries
- On October 6, Donald Trump said he had "to some extent" made a decision on supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but stressed that he wanted to avoid escalation and would determine the final decision only after learning the specific targets and flight routes.
- Earlier, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed that Washington was discussing the possibility of supplying Tomahawks but noted that the final decision remained with Trump. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the presidents of Ukraine and the United States discussed lifting restrictions on arms transfers.
- On October 8, Zelenskyy told reporters that during their meeting at the White House on August 18, Trump did not reject Ukraine’s request for Tomahawks. On October 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if the missiles were delivered, Moscow would respond by strengthening its air defense systems.
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On October 13, Trump said the U.S. could send Tomahawks to Ukraine if Putin refused to negotiate a settlement. On October 16, Trump and Putin held a phone call, during which, according to Trump, the Russian leader "didn’t like" the idea of supplying the missiles.
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On October 17, during a meeting in Washington, Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump had not said an explicit "no" but also gave no direct "yes." On October 20, Zelenskyy said European leaders were considering appealing to Trump to allow the use of Tomahawks by Ukraine.
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On October 31, it was reported that the Pentagon had given the White House the green light to transfer long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine after concluding that doing so would not negatively impact U.S. stockpiles. The final political decision remains in Trump’s hands.
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However, in early November, Trump said he was not currently considering transferring Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
