Media: Trump asked Zelenskyy if Ukraine could strike Moscow, reports say

US President Donald Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy whether Ukraine could strike Moscow and St. Petersburg if Washington provided long-range weapons, according to multiple media reports citing sources briefed on a recent call between the two leaders.

The July 4 conversation reportedly followed a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump described as “bad,” Financial Times and Washington Post report, Caliber.Az cites. 

“Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? . . . Can you hit St Petersburg too?” Trump asked, according to two people familiar with the call, as reported by the Financial Times. Zelenskyy is said to have replied, “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.”

Trump, who has previously pledged to end the war in Ukraine quickly if elected, allegedly signaled support for the idea as a way to pressure the Kremlin into peace negotiations.

“Make them feel the pain,” he said, according to FT sources.

The Washington Post also reported that Trump had encouraged Zelenskyy to strike deeper into Russian territory if provided with appropriate weapons, highlighting a shift from his earlier stance of non-intervention in foreign conflicts.

However, the White House pushed back on the reports.

“The Financial Times is notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks because their paper is dying,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement to Newsweek. “President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He’s working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war.”

A Western official briefed on the call told the Financial Times that the conversation reflects growing Western support for providing Ukraine with long-range weapons capable of “bringing the war to Muscovites.”

Following the call, US officials reportedly shared a list of potential long-range weapon systems with Zelenskyy during a meeting in Rome. According to three sources familiar with the discussions, this included strike systems that could be transferred to Ukraine via European intermediaries, allowing Trump to bypass Congress by authorizing arms sales to allies.

Ukrainian officials reportedly requested Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of about 1,600 kilometers. However, both Trump and the Biden administration have expressed concerns about Ukraine's restraint in using such capabilities, FT reported.

On July 14, Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, where he announced plans to provide Ukraine with Patriot air defence systems and interceptor missiles, though he did not mention any additional weapons shipments.

By Sabina Mammadli