MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. Former Ukrainian Prime Minister (2010-2014) Nikolay Azarov has commented on US President Donald Trump's stance regarding military aid to Ukraine, suggesting that Trump's decision not to supply Tomahawk cruise missiles stems from his view that the Ukrainian government can’t be trusted to use them responsibly.
In a post on his Telegram channel, Azarov explained, "Why did Trump refuse to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine? Trump, for a number of reasons, believes that the current Kiev administration is unstable." He further argued that this administration is incapable of effectively managing the substantial aid programs that the US has provided under President Biden and continues to support through Western allies. Azarov also cited other possible reasons, including Trump's belief that the Ukrainian conflict is the US’ war and his preference for pursuing diplomatic solutions with Russia.
On November 3, Trump explicitly stated that he was not considering supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. However, earlier, on October 17, during a meeting at the White House with Zelensky, Trump remarked that Washington itself needed Tomahawk missiles and other weapons Kiev was asking for. Axios, citing sources, reported that Trump told Zelensky that the United States currently does not plan to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine, emphasizing that his priority was diplomacy, and that providing such missiles could undermine efforts to reach a peaceful resolution.
Further complicating the issue, on October 6, Trump claimed to have made a decision regarding the potential transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but did not provide specific details. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that deploying Tomahawk missiles without the direct involvement of American military personnel would be impossible and cautioned that such a move would signify a "completely new, qualitatively different stage of escalation," affecting relations between Russia and the United States. Additionally, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that if Tomahawk missiles were supplied to Kiev, Moscow would respond appropriately.