Kiev threatens Russia after getting US support to strike energy sites
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios that US President Trump backed strikes on Russian energy and arms sites and that Ukraine would use new long-range weapons if supplied.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP)
Ukraine received explicit US support to strike Russian energy infrastructure and military targets, President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Axios Show, adding that Ukraine would use additional long-range weapons if supplied.
Zelensky, who received the approval from US President Donald Trump during his visit to New York, said he requested a specific new weapons system from Trump that, he believes, would pressure Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table.
He declined to name the system on camera but said Trump responded: “We will work on it.”
While claiming that Ukraine will not target civilians, Zelensky warned that centers of Russian power, including the Kremlin, could be legitimate targets if Moscow's operations do not cease. “They have to know where the bomb shelters are,” he said of Kremlin officials, adding that Ukraine will continue to respond to any Russian strikes.
Zelensky also confirmed that Trump raised the idea of tit-for-tat responses: if Russian forces strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the US president “supports that we can answer on energy.”
The Ukrainian president also noted Ukraine already fields drones capable of hitting deep inside Russia, and said the additional system he requested would serve as leverage to force negotiations, even if it is never actually fired.
What about the US stepping back?
This comes despite reports that the United States might be scaling back its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.
Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said on September 19 that Europe should prepare to take on greater responsibility for Ukraine aid in the event of reduced support from Washington.
“Better to be prepared. I don't think America will withdraw fully, but it's best that Europe stands on its own two feet,” Kellogg told The Telegraph.
The special envoy added, “At this point, Europe is almost self-sufficient in sustaining Ukraine's war effort through the cohesion we haven't seen before.”
Kellogg’s remarks reflect growing speculation over what a potential second Trump administration might mean for US engagement in the war. Trump has repeatedly criticized the scale of US military spending abroad and called on European allies to “pay their fair share.”
Read more: Trump's tone shift on Ukraine may signal wish for US step back: NYT
