President Donald Trump will speak with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, one day before he meets Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House to discuss Ukraine’s air defenses and possible long-range strike options.
Trump has floated the Tomahawk option in recent days, while signaling he wants to hear directly from Moscow before any decision. Zelenskyy is due in Washington on Friday to argue that long-range precision would raise the cost for Russia to keep striking cities and energy sites.
The White House agenda also includes additional Patriot interceptors and radar support, according to prior readouts of U.S.–Ukraine coordination.
Reuters has reported that Ukraine expects more Patriot and HIMARS munitions under ongoing programs, which would complement any new decisions on range and targeting policy.
Fresh Russian strikes underscore urgency
Hours before the call plan surfaced, Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukrainian cities and power infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said on X that more than 300 drones and 37 missiles, many of them ballistic, struck targets across the country, including the central city of Vinnytsia, and accused Russia of “double terror” tactics that target first responders.
Officials in Kyiv say the immediate priority is layered air defense around power plants, substations and urban centers, paired with longer-range tools to disrupt launch sites and logistics. The government has also requested emergency equipment for rapid grid repairs as winter approaches.
Zelenskyy’s ask: Tomahawks and more Patriots
Kyiv’s case for Tomahawk missiles rests on range and accuracy. A Tomahawk can reach deep into Russian territory, potentially hitting fuel depots and military industry nodes that enable continued strikes on Ukraine.
Trump has not committed to the transfer, but he told reporters that additional Patriot support would be part of Friday’s talks.
Russia has warned that supplying Tomahawks would be a severe escalation. Putin said the move would “destroy” U.S.–Russia relations, a message delivered publicly last week as Moscow tries to deter Western capitals from expanding Kyiv’s reach.
What Washington is weighing
U.S. deliberations turn on three questions. First, whether additional range would materially degrade Russia’s strike tempo against civilians and energy assets. Second, how to balance escalation risk with the need to restore deterrence.
Third, whether to pair any long-range decision with tighter sanctions and export controls to starve Russia’s war economy, steps Zelenskyy plans to raise in meetings with defense and energy officials.
Alongside Tomahawks, officials are weighing additional Patriot reloads, more ground-based short-range systems for city defense and expanded intelligence sharing that improves Ukrainian targeting with domestically produced systems.
Risks, red lines and diplomacy
Supporters of the Tomahawk option argue that only credible long-range pressure will force Moscow to take negotiations seriously after months of attacks on Ukraine’s grid.
They say Russia escalated first by hitting civilian infrastructure, and that Ukraine needs the means to impose costs on the networks that enable those strikes.
Skeptics caution that handing over Tomahawks could widen the conflict, provoke retaliation or fracture allied cohesion. They point to Russia’s explicit warnings and argue that the United States should continue boosting Patriots, NASAMS and interceptors while tightening sanctions enforcement and energy price caps.
Those concerns have been echoed in recent analyses as European capitals brace for winter strains on power systems.
