Trump on Tomahawks for Ukraine: ‘We have a lot of them, but we need them’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday, following a conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, that the United States has plenty of Tomahawk missiles but cannot allow its own stockpiles to deplete.

He made the remarks to reporters at the White House, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Well, we talked about it a little bit,” Trump said when asked whether Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine were discussed during his call with Putin.

“We didn’t say much, but I do say to you, you know, we need Tomahawks for the United States of America, too. We have a lot of them, but we need them. I mean, we can’t deplete for our country,” he said.

Trump also shared a glimpse of his exchange with Putin:

“I did actually say: ‘Would you mind if I gave a couple thousand Tomahawks to your opposition?’ I did say that to him. I said it just that way. He didn’t like the idea,” Trump recounted, adding that “you have to be a little bit light-hearted sometimes.”

The President emphasized that the Tomahawk is a powerful, highly destructive offensive weapon.

“Nobody wants Tomahawk shot at them,” he added.

As reported by Ukrinform, earlier Trump expressed his belief that Ukraine’s Armed Forces intend to go on the offensive in the war launched by Russia, noting that he would discuss this and the potential supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky.