Washington, 15 October (H.S.): United States President Donald Trump issued a rare critique of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, stating the prolonged war in Ukraine is making him look very bad. The comments come as Washington considers supplying Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, a move Moscow has warned would represent a qualitatively new stage of escalation.
During a White House lunch with Argentine President Javier Milei, Trump expressed bewilderment at the ongoing conflict. I don’t know why he continues with this war, Trump remarked, adding, He should have won that war in one week.The statement precedes a crucial meeting scheduled for Friday between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where continued U.S. military support for Kyiv is expected to be a primary topic.
The discussion is amplified by recent reports that the Trump administration is contemplating the transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Trump himself fueled this speculation, telling reporters he might have to speak to Russia about the missiles if the conflict is not going to get settled.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna endorsed the potential move, telling ABC News that providing Tomahawks could help push Russia back and send a very strong message to Moscow.
President Zelensky has been actively lobbying for the advanced weaponry and confirmed having very productive conversations with Trump about Ukraine’s defense needs, including its long-range capabilities. He also expressed optimism that Trump’s recent success in brokering an Israel-Hamas ceasefire could be a model for resolving the war with Russia.Conversely, Russia has voiced strong opposition to the possible missile transfer.
President Putin warned earlier in October that Tomahawks could not be used without direct U.S. military involvement and that such a delivery would ruin the positive trend in Russia-U.S. relations.The BGM-109 Tomahawk, a precision-guided cruise missile with variants capable of striking targets up to 1,550 miles away, could significantly alter the strategic landscape.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukraine could use these missiles to degrade Russia’s battlefield performance by targeting key support areas and military assets deep within Russian territory, such as the Shahed drone factory in Yelabuga or the Engels-2 Air Base.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
