Zelenskyy believes US weapons can bring Putin to the negotiating table – even without using them

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that any offensive weapon from the United States could make the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table. Even if such weapons, including missiles capable of striking deep into Russia, are not used, the head of state said in an interview with the American TV channel Newsmax.

Zelenskyy noted that the head of the United States Donald Trump and "all of America and Europe" know that Ukraine wants peace and an end to the war.

However, the president added, Russians understand only force: "So, only strong sanctions and only strong weapons."

The leader of Ukraine also emphasized that "we are ready for action, for a demonstration of force."

"I remember that we had a powerful deterrence package before president Trump became president. I wanted America to sell us such a package. But it was not done. We talked to president Trump about these things. I would really like us to be strong. A demonstration of strength forces Putin to the negotiating table. It is not a fact that we will have to use this force, but if Russia knows about its existence, it is already a strong argument for ending the war," Zelenskyy said.

In October 2024, the president presented the "Victory Plan," which included a list of weapons that Ukraine would like to receive from its allies. These included the long-range Tomahawk missiles were also discussed.

• In July 2025, the United States and NATO signed an agreement that partners will buy American weapons for Ukraine. An interviewee of The Washington Post reported that Trump considered sending Tomahawks, but decided to postpone the issue for the time being, if additional leverage is needed to put pressure on dictator Putin.
• WP and Financial Times sources said that during a conversation with Zelenskyy, Trump asked whether Ukraine could strike Moscow and St. Petersburg. The White House confirmed that this question was indeed raised, but the US president "did not encourage further killings". Trump himself eventually said that Zelenskyy should not bomb Moscow.
• Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief of the DIU stated that without strategic bombers, it will be difficult for Ukraine to use Tomahawk missiles if the United States approves their delivery.