While the Pentagon has reportedly blocked Ukraine from using U.S.-made long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, part of a policy aimed at nudging Moscow toward peace talks, according U.S. officials, President Donald Trump signaled a new approach this week.
Trump’s public tone on Ukraine has shifted, much like the body language experts noted in Alaska how Trump went from excited to disappointed in his summit with Vladimir Putin.
“I’m not happy about it, and I’m not happy about anything having to do with that war,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about a Russian strike on an American company’s factory in Western Ukraine.
“I settled seven wars, and, actually, if you think about pre-wars, add three more, so it would be 10. I thought this would be in the middle of the pack in terms of difficulty. No, I’m not happy about anything about that war. Nothing. Not happy at all.”
Trump added, “We’ll see what happens. I think over the next two weeks, we’re going to find out which way it’s going to go, and I better be very happy.”
Earlier this week, Trump wrote on Truth Social it is “very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country,” urging that Ukraine be allowed to “play offense” and “fight back,” denouncing former President Joe Biden’s administration for stifling Ukraine’s ability to strike targets in Russia.
While Trump greeted the Kremlin leader warmly in Alaska, a stone-faced Trump declared “no deal” on a ceasefire, just days of having warned of “severe consequences” in an answer to Newsmax’s Mike Carter if Putin did not agree to Trump’s immediate ceasefire.
A previously undisclosed approval process requires Ukraine to seek Defense Department signoff before firing Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS [notably pronounced attack-ems], into Russian territory, officials told The Wall Street Journal on Saturday.
On at least one occasion since late spring, Kyiv’s request to use the ATACMS against a target inside Russia was denied, according to the report.
The review mechanism, designed by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, gives Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth final authority over such strikes. It also covers the use of long-range European systems that rely on U.S. targeting data, such as Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile.
“President Trump has been very clear that the war in Ukraine needs to end,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Secretary Hegseth is working in lockstep with President Trump.”
The restriction reverses former President Joe Biden’s 2024 decision allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia with ATACMS after North Korean forces entered the conflict. Kyiv still has a limited supply of the U.S.-provided missiles.
Trump has previously criticized Biden for permitting such strikes, calling the move “stupid” and escalatory. Yet his recent calls for Ukraine to be allowed to attack inside Russia suggest he could revisit the Pentagon’s policy, U.S. officials told the Journal.
The administration this week approved an $850 million weapons package, largely funded by European allies, that includes more than 3,000 Extended Range Attack Munition missiles with ranges up to 280 miles. Officials said their use will also require Pentagon approval.
Ukraine has continued developing its own long-range strike capability, including drones and a new domestically produced cruise missile known as the Flamingo, expected to enter production by early 2026.
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