DONALD Trump is set to speak with Vladimir Putin today in the US president’s latest attempt to end the Russian tyrant’s war in Ukraine.
The high-stakes meeting comes one day before Trump is set to meet Volodymyr Zelensky – amid growing speculation that Washington may greenlight Kyiv using long-range US Tomahawks.
It comes after Trump said earlier last week that he would give Ukraine the consequential weapons if Putin failed to settle the war.
And on Wednesday, Trump said Ukraine were planning to “go on the offensive” ahead of his crunch talks with Zelensky.
He told reporters ahead of the highly anticipated meeting with the Ukrainian leader: “We’ll be talking about the war with him.
“They want to go offensive – I’ll make a determination on that, but they would like to go offensive.”
Previously emphasising his growing impatience with the Russian despot’s war, Trump said last week: “I might say, ‘Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks’.”
Trump hailed Tomahawk missiles – which he used to blitz Iran in June – as “incredible” offensive weapons.
They have a maximum range of 2,500km with warheads that weight almost half a ton – and will crucially allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia, including the depths of Siberia and even the capital, Moscow.
Breaking news… More to follow…