Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal hinted that decisions on the US Tomahawk cruise missiles will be announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump following their meeting slated for Friday.
Speaking at a press conference after the Ukraine Contact Defense Group (UCDG) meeting on Wednesday, Shmyhal said the countries talked about Ukraine’s need for deep strike capabilities when asked about whether a decision on Tomahawks had been made.
Without naming specific systems, Shmyhal said the parties discussed all types of long-range weapons but added that any decisions would be announced by the respective presidents.
Shmyhal said “concrete names and concrete data” to be transferred to Kyiv will be announced by Zelensky and Trump.
However, he added that it may also be “other countries” announcing that decision if other allies are to supply Ukraine with long-range strike capabilities.
He once again described the possibility of additional long-range weapons as a means to pressure Moscow into good-faith negotiations.
“We discuss all types of deep strike missiles, but I think that concrete names and concrete data will [be announced by] the president of Ukraine and president of the United States – answering your question – or leaders [of] other countries if it will be other partners who will supply to Ukraine deep strike missiles for our operations to continue and increase pressure on Russia,” Shmyhal said.
Shmyhal hinted that Patriot air defense missiles and other “long-range” weaponry will be purchased via the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, by which NATO finances the acquisition of US weapons on behalf of Kyiv.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said the number of alliance members that have agreed to join the PURL initiative has grown from six to “16-17” following Wednesday’s defense ministers’ meetings. However, none have provided an exact figure as to how much of a spending boost that will entail.
Speaking about the PURL program, Shmyhal echoed earlier comments by Rutte and another NATO official that only the US can supply the missiles needed to defeat Russian ballistic missiles, adding that the program is the way to procure such weapons.