Putin warns Trump that Tomahawk missile transfer to Ukraine would harm Russia-US ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his US counterpart Donald Trump that any potential deliveries of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would harm relations between Moscow and Washington.

"Putin reiterated his thesis that Tomahawk missiles will not change the situation on the battlefield but will cause significant damage to relations between our countries, not to mention the prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine," Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters during a briefing in Moscow on Thursday.

He said the nearly two-and-a-half-hour phone conversation between the two leaders was "very substantive, yet also extremely frank and confidential."

Ushakov added that special emphasis was placed on the war in Ukraine, with Putin giving Trump what he called a "detailed assessment of the current situation."

According to the Kremlin aide, Moscow told Washington that Russian forces retain "complete strategic initiative" along the front line, while Trump repeatedly stressed the need for a swift peace in the conflict.

"One of the American president’s key points was that ending the conflict in Ukraine would open up enormous — he emphasised it — prospects for developing economic cooperation between the United States and Russia," Ushakov said.

He added that both presidents discussed the possibility of holding another face-to-face meeting and agreed that officials from both sides would immediately begin preparing for a summit, with Budapest, the Hungarian capital, mentioned as a potential venue.

Putin and Trump last met in August at a summit in Alaska, but efforts to advance peace talks have since stalled.

Trump has since sought to coordinate with NATO allies to increase pressure on Moscow, including pushing for an end to Russian oil purchases.

Following Thursday’s call, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he and Putin plan to meet in Hungary to "discuss an end to the war" after high-level delegations from both sides convene next week.

The conversation came ahead of Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, scheduled for Friday at the White House, where air defence and long-range weapons are expected to top the agenda.

Earlier this month, Trump said he was close to deciding whether to authorise the transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, a request Zelenskyy first made in September.

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Source: TRT