Volodymyr Zelensky has requested Tomahawk missiles in a private meeting with Donald Trump,
The Telegraph reports.
The Ukrainian president told his American counterpart the high-tech weapons system would help bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to discuss a peace accord.
Multiple sources told the Telegraph that the request was made in what has been hailed as a massively positive meeting between the two leaders, held on the fringes of the United Nations.
In an interview after the meeting, Mr Zelensky said Mr Trump was amenable to his appeal for the long-range cruise missile, which would put Moscow in range of Kyiv’s strikes.
Separately, diplomatic sources said that Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, told Europeans counterparts that Mr Trump’s change in tone on Ukraine should be viewed “as positive as possible”.
Mr Rubio also conveyed that the US president was “really angry” at Putin for ignoring his attempts to bring an end to the three-and-a-half-year war.
It is uncertain whether Mr Zelensky’s attempts to secure Tomahawk missiles from the US will be a success.
With a range of up to 1,500 miles and a 450kg warhead, the cruise missile is far more effective than any similar long-range weapon donated to Kyiv by Western allies.
