‘Can you hit Moscow?’: Trump asks Zelenskyy about deep strikes in Russia, promises weapons

In a major policy shift, Trump has backed a new NATO-led military aid package to Ukraine, with alliance members footing the bill. But behind the scenes, his pivot began earlier, according to a Financial Times report. On a July 4 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump reportedly asked, “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?… Can you hit St Petersburg too?”

Zelenskyy replied, “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.”

While it remains unclear whether Washington will approve long-range strikes on Russia, Trump has confirmed that the US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. “They are necessary to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening,” he said.

Trump’s changing posture follows a call with Putin that reportedly left the US President convinced that Moscow had no intention of halting its offensive. His push for a hardline approach is aimed at applying pressure to bring Russia to the negotiating table.

According to Financial Times, Trump wants to “make them [Russians] feel the pain” to force peace talks. However, Kremlin officials have pushed back against this tactic.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Tuesday that Trump’s new strategy could embolden Ukraine and further delay peace. “It seems that such a decision made in Washington and in NATO countries and directly in Brussels will be perceived by Kyiv not as a signal for peace but for the continuation of the war,” Peskov said.

“President Trump’s statement is very serious. We certainly need time to analyse what was said in Washington,” he added.