No Tomahawks for Ukraine Following Putin Residence Attack: Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was relieved his administration did not supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles after Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged that Kyiv targeted a residence linked to the Russian presidency in a drone attack.

The remark was made during a December 29 phone call between the two leaders, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. He told reporters that Trump said, “thank God, I didn’t hand over the Tomahawk to Kyiv,” adding that the current U.S. administration had not provided the missiles to what he described as the “Kyiv regime.”

Talks about a possible transfer of U.S.-made Tomahawk long-range, precision-guided cruise missiles to Ukraine have circulated for months and intensified in October. Trump has repeatedly said he had no intention of sending the missiles to Kyiv or training Ukrainian forces to use them, despite periodic media reports claiming the Pentagon had approved such deliveries.

The Kremlin said Putin told Trump that Ukraine carried out what Moscow described as a “terrorist attack” using drones against a residence associated with the Russian presidency. According to the Kremlin readout, Trump was “shocked” and “literally outraged,” saying he “couldn’t even imagine such crazy actions” and warning that the alleged incident would affect Washington’s approach toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump later confirmed the call, calling it “a very good talk,” while acknowledging that several “thorny issues” remained unresolved. Speaking to reporters, he said he was “very angry” when Putin raised the allegation, arguing that targeting a leader’s residence crossed a line beyond battlefield operations. “It’s one thing to be offensive,” Trump said, “and another thing to attack his house.”

He also reportedly conceded that the Russian claim might not be accurate. Asked whether U.S. intelligence had verified the incident, Trump said it was “possible” the attack did not happen as described.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russian air defences intercepted drones aimed at a presidential retreat in the Novgorod region, though no evidence has been released publicly. The site is not Putin’s primary residence and is typically used as a retreat.

Ukraine has categorically denied the allegation. Zelenskyy called it “another round of lies from the Russian Federation” and accused Moscow of trying to derail improving ties between Kyiv and Washington following his recent meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. “If there is no scandal between us and America, and we are making progress, for them it is a failure,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia “does not want to end this war.”