Star Metro - Trump speaks with Putin ahead of Zelensky visit

"I am speaking to President Putin now," Trump said on his Truth Social network. "The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion."

The call comes as Trump shows mounting frustration over the Kremlin leader's refusal to end the 2022 invasion of Ukraine despite their recent summit in Alaska.

Trump is now considering a request from Ukraine for American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have range of around 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) and could strike deep into Russia.

During Zelensky's meeting with Trump at the White House on Friday "the main topic of discussion is Tomahawks," a senior Ukrainian official told AFP on Thursday.

Trump had warned at the weekend that he would likely raise the issue first with Putin, who has warned that the supply of Tomahawks would be a "whole new level of escalation."

"I might talk to him, I might say, 'Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I'm going to send them Tomahawks.' I may say that," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Middle East.

"The Tomahawk is a incredible weapon, very offensive weapon, and honestly, Russia does not need that."

- 'Go offensive' -

Trump added on Wednesday that the Ukrainians "want to go offensive" and that they would discuss Kyiv's request for the cruise missiles.

The US leader has said he wants to up the pressure on Moscow for a peace deal following the ceasefire agreement he brokered in Gaza between Israel and Hamas last week.

Relations between Trump and Zelensky have meanwhile warmed since February, when they sparred during a now infamous televised meeting at the White House in which the US leader told his Ukrainian counterpart: "You don't have the cards."

The senior Ukrainian source said the tone of rhetoric between the White House and Kyiv was now "very businesslike" and that Washington understood pressure on Russia "will work to end it all."

Tomahawks would be a major addition to Ukraine's arsenal, consolidating Kyiv's long-range strike abilities with a missile that can fly just above the ground at near supersonic speed to avoid radar.

The United States has used Tomahawks for more than 40 years and in some of the country's most high-profile conflicts, from the 1991 Gulf War to this year's US strikes on Iran's nuclear program.

Previously Tomahawks have primarily been fired from sea-based launchers, like warships or submarines, but the Ukrainian source told AFP that: "There is a technical solution in place for the launch platform."

- 'Bullying' -

Senior Ukrainian officials visiting Washington this week met with representatives of US weapon manufacturers, including Raytheon, which produces Tomahawk missiles.

Zelensky will also meet with arms makers to discuss when deliveries could begin "but they need a political signal," the Ukrainian source added.

With the war now in its fourth year, Russia launched fresh attacks on energy facilities in eastern Ukraine, repeating the pattern of focusing on Kyiv's power network that it has followed every winter.

Energy has been a core factor throughout the war, with Trump saying on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised him New Delhi would stop buying Russian oil.

But Putin said Thursday that his country was still among the world's top oil producers, despite what he called "unfair" anti-competitive practices used against it.

China, a major purchaser of Russian oil, meanwhile rejected "unilateral bullying" by Washington.

A.Hill--SMC