WASHINGTON (Realist English). President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of a planned meeting at the White House with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, a conversation that could shape Washington’s next steps in the conflict.
“I am speaking to President Putin now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion.”
The call comes as Trump prepares to meet Zelensky on Friday to discuss the future of U.S. support for Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing special military operation. According to two officials familiar with the talks, the U.S. president is leaning toward approving the delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles, capable of striking targets more than 1,000 miles away.
“He wants weapons. He would like to have Tomahawks,” Trump told reporters earlier this week, referring to Zelensky’s requests.
Strategic and legal limits
The potential delivery of Tomahawks would mark a significant escalation in U.S. military assistance, expanding Ukraine’s long-range strike capacity. The discussion is expected to include restrictions on using U.S.-supplied weapons to strike inside Russian territory, a policy that has remained in place despite Kyiv’s appeals to lift it.
Under Trump’s orders, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth retains authority to veto any Ukrainian use of long-range systems such as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for strikes on Russian soil.
Still, U.S. intelligence support for Ukraine’s operations has already enabled precision attacks on refineries, pipelines, and power facilities deep within Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A difficult dialogue with Moscow
Since his August meeting with Putin in Alaska, Trump has reportedly grown frustrated with Moscow’s unwillingness to compromise or bring the special military operation to an end. The president has hinted at punitive sanctions against Russia, a move favored by Zelensky and some Republican lawmakers, though he has not yet acted on it.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Putin was scheduled to hold a phone call with a foreign leader later in the day but did not confirm with whom.
The outcome of the Trump–Putin conversation is expected to influence Washington’s position ahead of the White House meeting with Zelensky, shaping the next phase of U.S. involvement in the evolving conflict.
