Pentagon blocks Ukraine’s use of US missiles against Russia: Report

The news comes as US President Donald Trump has increasingly become frustrated over the three-year old war and his inability to secure a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: August 24, 2025 08:51 AM IST

2 min read

The WSJ report added that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has the final say over the usage of long-range weapons. (AP)

The Pentagon has been silently restricting Ukraine from using the US-made long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to hit targets inside Russia, which has limited the option of Kyiv’s defence to employ these weapons against Moscow’s invasion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials on Saturday.

The news comes as US President Donald Trump has increasingly become frustrated over the three-year-old war and his inability to secure a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine. Trump recently hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with other European leaders, at the White House to find a middle ground and sign a quick peace deal, but it didn’t go through.

After his summit with both leaders failed to produce any result, Trump on Friday cautioned the Kremlin that he is inclined towards slapping economic sanctions on Russia, or alternatively walking away from the peace process to halt the war, which began with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do, and it’s going to be, and it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight,” Trump said on Friday.

After concluding his summit with Zelenskyy and other European leaders last week, Trump had hoped to arrange a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, but that has also proven difficult. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, there seems to be no such agenda in place where there is a sitdown with Zelenskyy, reported NBC News on Friday.

“Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov told NBC.

The WSJ report added that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has the final say over the usage of long-range weapons.

(With inputs from WSJ, NBC)

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