President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine should not target Moscow on strike. The Financial Times reported on July 4 that Trump personally encouraged the attack on Russia.
Citing an anonymous source, the outlet also said Trump asked if Ukraine could do so if the US provided the country’s long-range weapons.
But this week, the Republican president said the United States is “not trying to do that.”
In a call with Ukrainian President Voldimee Zelensky, Trump “will not simply ask questions and encourage further killings,” the White House told the BBC in a statement.
“He is making tireless efforts to stop the murder and end this war,” continued spokesperson Caroline Leavitt.
On Monday, Trump announced he would send arms to Ukraine, warning of more tariffs in Russia if the country does not sign a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine 50 days later.
The president said if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached on its timeline, the US will impose a 100% secondary tariff targeting the remaining Russian trading partners.
Among the weapons involved in the latest deal, Trump said “all” including defensive patriot missiles, although precise details are still unknown.
NATO Executive Director Mark Latte said the US, Europe and Ukraine are still working on details of the weapons agreed to in the deal.
In the past few weeks, Russia escalated drone and missile attacks in Ukraine, killing more than 230 civilians in June.
Trump’s questions about whether Moscow can hit Moscow came the day after a “bad” call between the US president and Putin, according to the Financial Times.
“Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?…Can you hit St. Petersburg too?” The outlet reported after Trump asked on another call with Zelensky.
Ukraine has hit several targets deep within Russia this year, with the US and the UK offering missiles.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has promised to end the Russian war in Ukraine.
However, the promise has proven to be more complicated than expected, with Trump increasingly becoming frustrated with the lack of progress to end the conflict with Russian leaders.
On Monday, Trump told the BBC he was “disappointed” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “But I’m not finished with him,” he added.
Trump also said he was “working” Putin to put an end to the killings in Ukraine.
“We have a great conversation. They say, ‘That’s good, I think we’re approaching getting it done.”
A two-round ceasefire talk between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year, but no other meetings are scheduled.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the pledge to raise Trump’s tariffs and send weapons to Ukraine was seen as “not a signal of peace, but a signal to continue the war.”
