U.S. President Donald Trump said during a briefing on July 15 that his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, should not strike the Russian capital.
Trump's remarks come after the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing undisclosed sources, that the U.S. president asked Zelensky during a phone call in early June whether Kyiv could strike Moscow or St Petersburg if provided with long-range U.S. weapons.
The Washington Post also reported that, according to its source, Trump asked the Ukrainian leader why he had not struck the Russian capital. Zelensky allegedly replied that such an attack would be possible if the U.S. supplied the necessary weapons.
When asked if Zelensky should target Moscow or deeper into Russia, Trump responded by saying: "No, he shouldn't target Moscow."
Commenting on the FT's report earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a statement to Newsweek, accused the newspaper of "taking words wildly out of context."
"President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war," she said.
The FT's reports came as Trump seems to be warming up to Ukraine after months-long rocky relationship, offering advanced weapons to the war-torn country via a deal with NATO and threatening Russia with "severe tariffs" if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a peace deal within 50 days.
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