Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week dialed up pressure on key allies, holding consecutive calls with US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. His message: bolster Kyivâs defenses with long-range missiles and air defense systems to counter Russiaâs escalating bombardment.
In his second phone conversation in as many days with Trump, Zelenskyy and the US president agreed that their teams and military would handle everything discussed, according to a presidential readout. Details remain under wraps, but the exchange underscores Kyivâs urgent push for enhanced deterrence capabilities.
Shortly after, Zelenskyy spoke with Macron, stressing that Moscow was seizing on global distractionsâfrom the Middle East to domestic political debatesâto intensify its air campaign. Zelenskyy said Russia is now taking advantage of the moment, as the worldâs attention turns elsewhere.
The Kremlin meanwhile has stepped up air strikes on Ukraineâs power grid, arguing that energy infrastructure supports the military sector. In response, Trump hinted at a potential game-changer: deploying US Tomahawk cruise missiles if Putin fails to dial back operations.
The US president said he might tell Putin, âLook, if this war is not going to get settled, Iâm going to send them Tomahawks,â as he set off for a Middle East trip. He described Tomahawk supplies as a new step of aggression, raising the stakes in the transatlantic security debate.
Russiaâs spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that any Tomahawk launches could be construed by Moscow as harboring nuclear payloads. Peskov said that a long-range missile taking off could be assumed to carry a nuclear warhead, posing existential questions for the Russian Federation.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled, with Kyiv and Moscow trading blame for the impasse. As Zelenskyy intensifies his appeal for weapons, the world watches closely: the next shipment of defense systems could reshape the front lines and global geopolitics in real time.
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Zelenskyy lobbies allies for more missiles and air defence systems
cgtn.com
