Amid growing impatience over the Kremlin’s reluctance to participate in direct talks with Ukraine, Washington is now considering providing Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles, according to US Vice President JD Vance.
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The US is "looking at" providing Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles, as Moscow continues to refuse bilateral and trilateral peace talks brokered by US President Donald Trump, his Vice President JD Vance confirmed on Sunday.
"You asked this question about Tomahawks. It's something the president is going to make the final determination on," Vance told Fox News.
"What the president is going to do is what's in the best interest for the United States of America," he said. "I know we're having conversations this very minute about the issue".
According to reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Trump to supply Kyiv with Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week.
While Washington is still considering the Tomahawk decision, the US administration has already authorised Ukraine’s long-range strikes deep into Russia, according to the US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
"The answer is yes, use the ability to hit deep, there are no such things as sanctuaries," Kellogg said on Sunday, explaining that the final decision is with Trump on a case-by-case basis.
Washington simmers over Moscow’s reluctance
Both decisions are likely coming as the impatience grows at the White House over Russia’s stance regarding the direct talks with Ukraine aimed at putting an end to Moscow’s ongoing all-out war.
Vance acknowledged that the Kremlin is not willing to hold talks not only one-on-one with Ukraine’s leader but even in the presence of Trump.
“What we've seen over the last couple of weeks, the Russians have refused to sit down with any bilateral meetings with the Ukrainians," Vance said.
"They've refused to sit down with any trilateral meetings where the president or some other member of the administration could sit down with the Russians and the Ukrainians."
“The Russians are not gaining a lot. This war is terrible for their economy, and they have to ask themselves how many more people are they going to have to lose and how many more people are they going to have to kill for very little military advantage," the US vice president explained.
"We hope the Russians actually wake up to reality on the ground."
Following the meeting with Zelenskyy in New York last Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form."
Trump was possibly referring to the 1991 borders and meant Kyiv could take back all of the territory occupied by Russia, including Crimea, which Russia unilaterally annexed in 2014.
"With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original borders from where this war started, is very much an option."
In their latest meeting, Zelenskyy reportedly told the US president that the Pentagon-supplied advanced weapons systems, like Tomahawk missiles, could help pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiations for a peace deal.