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PoliticsUkraine

Zelenskyy and Trump talk amid possible Tomahawk delivery

John Silk with AP, Reuters
October 12, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a "very productive" phone call with US President Donald Trump regarding the strengthening of Kyiv's "air defense, resilience, and long-range capabilities."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on at a stakeout during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City
Zelenskyy said Russian attacks have targetting Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of the upcoming winterImage: Kylie Cooper/REUTERS

As Ukraine faces continued air attacks against its energy infrastructure from Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday renewed efforts to increase his country's air defenses in talks with US President Donald Trump. 

Zelenskyy wrote on X that the two leaders also discussed "details related to the energy sector."

Their call followed an earlier conversation on Saturday, Zelenskyy said, during which the two leaders agreed on Sunday's topics.

Trump undecided on providing Tomahawks to Ukraine

The phone calls followed Zelenskyy's statement on Friday that he was in discussions with US officials regarding the possible provision of various long-range precision strike weapons, including Tomahawks and additional ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles. 

Trump said earlier this week that he has "sort of made a decision" on whether to send Tomahawks to Ukraine.

But the US president also said that before agreeing to provide Tomahawks, he wanted to know how Kyiv would use the weapons because he did not want to escalate the war.

A senior Ukrainian delegation is set to visit the United States in the coming days.

The BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is an American long-range subsonic cruise missileImage: Andygin/Dreamstime/IMAGO

Russian concern over Tomahawks

Moscow also expressed "extreme concern" over Washington potentially providing Tomahawks to aid Ukraine as it continues to try to fend off Moscow's full-scale invasion. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "the topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern."

"Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides," he told Russian state television.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also said in comments released Sunday that he doubts that Washington will provide Ukraine with the cruise missiles.

"I think we need to calm down in this regard. Our friend Donald... sometimes he takes a more forceful approach, and then, his tactic is to let go a little and step back. Therefore, we shouldn't take this literally, as if it's going to fly tomorrow," Lukashenko posted on his Telegram.

Trump mulls supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles

03:18

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Russia 'continues aerial terror,' says Zelenskyy

Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine's power grid overnight into Sunday, part of an ongoing campaign to cripple Ukrainian energy infrastructure before winter.

Kyiv regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said two employees of Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, were injured in the attack on a substation. Ukraine's Energy Ministry said key infrastructure was also targeted in the regions of Donetsk, Odesa and Chernihiv.

"Russia continues its aerial terror against our cities and communities, intensifying strikes on our energy infrastructure," Zelenskyy posted on X, noting that Russia had launched "more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles, and around 1,360 glide bombs" over the past week.

Zelenskyy called for tighter secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, "Sanctions, tariffs, and joint actions against the buyers of Russian oil — those who finance this war — must all remain on the table."

Trump's Tomahawk dilemma: Ukraine's hopes, Russia's warnings

03:54

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Edited by: Sean Sinico

John Silk Editor and writer for English news, as well as the Culture and Asia Desks.@JSilk
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