Trump Resists Zelenskyy's Call for Tomahawks, Calls for War's End Instead

Trump Resists Zelenskyy's Call for Tomahawks, Calls for War's End Instead
Above: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Oct. 17, 2025. Image copyright: Tom Brenner/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

This devastating war, which would never have started if Trump was president, has gone on for far too long. It's time to make a deal to end the fighting. No more shooting, no more death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent.

Pro-Russia narrative

The deployment of Tomahawks would have been a serious escalation. Without the ability to see whether Tomahawks are carrying nuclear warheads or not, the use of this weapon would provoke serious responses from Moscow that have consequences for the rest of the world. This was the right decision.

Pro-Ukraine narrative

Despite Ukraine's urgent need for long-range Tomahawk missiles, Trump has denied them because he thinks he can end it without sending them. However, he didn't completely rule out that Tomahawks could be sent in the future. Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not strike civilian targets. As such, if Ukraine were to receive Tomahawks, they would be strictly used on military targets and to further its military aims.

Metaculus Prediction



The Controversies



Go Deeper



© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.17.0

© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.17.0