&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Wildly out of context': White House says Trump 'was not encouraging further killing' after reports claim he wanted Zelensky to 'strike Moscow'")
US President Donald Trump reportedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whether his forces could strike Moscow and St. Petersburg if the United States provided them with long-range weapons, according to reports by The Financial Times and The Washington Post.
White House says Trump’s comments were misrepresented
Responding to the reports, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump was encouraging escalation. “The Financial Times is notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks because their paper is dying,” she said in a statement to Newsweek. “President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He’s working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war,” she added.
What did Trump ask Zelensky?
During a phone call on 4 July, Trump is said to have asked: “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? Can you hit St Petersburg too?” Zelensky reportedly replied, “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.” According to the FT report, Trump supported the idea, describing it as a strategy to “make them [Russians] feel the pain” and force President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. The call took place just a day after Trump had what he described as a “bad” conversation with Putin.
Trending Stories
)
Dharmendra Pradhan's daughter deactivates IG, LinkedIn as protesters demand her father's resignation, target her university page
)
India invites Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman to BRICS Summit
)
He predicted COVID-19 and 2008 economic crisis, was labeled fearmonger. Now he has another dire warning
)
Middle East on ‘edge of unimaginable’ as US-Iran conflict fuels regional tensions: UN
)
Ukrainian drone wrecks irreplaceable Russian bomber 800km inside the country, satellite images show it halved
)
Scientists decode rare metal that allows China's radar satellite to spy over Asia Pacific
)
Maharashtra Bandh call on July 23: What all you need to know
)
Man carries baby yak on his back and treks a km down the mountain after it falls sick - Video
)
Japan is selling a refrigerator to cool the human body for Rs 9 lakh. It is already a hit in Tokyo
)
'Most important foundation': Dharmendra Pradhan's long note on 'school education' amid calls for his resignation
)
WATCH: Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike after meeting Union Ministers JP Nadda, Jitendra Singh
)
Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky says Trump meeting could come soon
)
Delhi Police chief gets NSA detention powers but force denies link to CJP protests
)
US-Iran War: Iran destroys US Patriot Air-Defence System
)
'George Soros playbook': Understanding the foreign funding network around Sonam Wangchuk
)
Jana Nayagan movie review: Thalapathy Vijay deserved a sharper send-off
)
‘10/10 strategy’: Iran's Ghalibaf mocks US strategy after oil prices surge past $100
)
Wangchuk ends hunger strike, but CJP protest will continue until Pradhan resigns: Abhijeet Dipke
)
Will India switch to plastic currency? Why RBI wants to replace paper currency, and what it means for your wallet | WION Decodes
)
'Oh my god!' Orca deliberately rams into sunfish so hard that it exploded. For food or fun?
)
FIFA 2026 | 'I am truly sorry': Argentina's Enzo Fernandez, who get red card in final, reacts to loss
)
Iran flew IRGC men, advisers and military gear to Yemen, bolstered Houthis for Red Sea blockade: Sources
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why US fighter jets use seamless bubble canopies compared to Russian jets
)
CJP delegation to meet Union ministers on Friday; govt replaces higher education secretary
)
‘Stole the show’: Young man’s uncanny imitation of Trump leaves internet stunned | WATCH
)
FACT CHECK: Passport of CJP protesters to be cancelled? Delhi Police clarifies
)
Trump imposes fresh tariffs on 60 trading partners over forced labour concerns
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the specialized paint on an S-400 costs thousands of dollars per truck
)
‘Paper leak is no trivial matter’: PM Modi assures strict actions over NEET paper leak, promises fast-track courts
'Sonam, it’s done, bro. Don’t extend this': Salman Khan now urges protesting students to go home, offers Wangchuk home cooked food to end fast
)
Watch: Trump's 'such good English' praise prompts eye rolls in Liberia
US quietly offers Ukraine list of long-range strike options
Following the call, US officials reportedly shared with Zelensky a list of long-range weapons that could be supplied through third-party transfers. This would allow NATO countries to send the systems on behalf of the US, avoiding a congressional freeze on direct military aid to Ukraine.
Among the systems discussed were Tomahawk missiles with a 1,600km range and ATACMS, which have already been used by Ukraine but cannot reach targets as far as Moscow.
Trump expresses frustration with Putin
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday (July 14), alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump criticised Russia’s failure to commit to a peace deal. “I’m disappointed in President Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago,” he said. Trump also announced a new plan to send Patriot air defence systems and interceptor missiles to Ukraine, but did not mention any new long-range weapons.
