Hours before meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, where the delivery of Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine was expected to be discussed, Donald Trump seems to backpedal by stating that the United States cannot "deplete" its reserves of this type of weaponry. "We need them too, so I don't know what we can do," he said in a chat with journalists.
These doubts come right after a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which the American president posed that threat, offering a new advantage to Kiev, a notion that the Russian leader "didn't like." In the call, Trump and Putin agreed to meet again in the coming weeks, this time in Budapest.
Russia Shoots Down 61 Ukrainian Drones, Two Near Moscow
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 61 fixed-wing drones overnight and this morning in five regions of the country, two of them near Moscow and the annexed Crimea peninsula, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
"Between 11:00 p.m. on October 16 and 7:00 a.m. (GMT+3) today, the anti-aircraft defense systems intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones," states the military report published on Telegram and cited by Efe.
Two of the Ukrainian drones were shot down in the Moscow region, the administrative unit surrounding the Russian capital. According to the Russian military command, 32 drones were downed over Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and another six were destroyed over the Black Sea, which bathes the peninsula.
The remaining unmanned aircraft destroyed last night were shot down over the regions of Rostov (13), Bryansk (5), Tula (2), and Kursk (1).
Zelensky Meets with US Long-Range Missile Manufacturers
Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he had a meeting with representatives of US manufacturers of Tomahawk and Patriot missile systems, which Kiev is requesting to defend against the Russian invasion.
"We discussed Raytheon's production capacity, potential cooperation paths to strengthen Ukraine's anti-aircraft defense and long-range capabilities, as well as the prospect of joint production between Ukraine and the United States," detailed Zelensky on a social network.
The Ukrainian president is awaiting a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump, marking their third meeting since the beginning of the American leader's term.
Orbán Says He Will Speak with Putin This Friday
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that he would speak with Vladimir Putin on Friday as Budapest begins preparations to host the meeting between the Russian president and US President Donald Trump.
Trump announced on Thursday that he would meet with Putin in the Hungarian capital to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine. Orbán mentioned that the meeting "will be about peace" and that if a peace agreement is reached, it would lead to a new phase of economic development in Hungary and Europe.
Orbán told state radio that the meeting could take place within the next two weeks if the US and Russian Foreign Ministers manage to resolve outstanding issues at a meeting scheduled for next week. "Last night, I gave the order to create an organizing committee; we have defined the most important tasks, and preparations have already begun," Orbán said. He did not provide further details.
Russian State Media Journalist Dies in Ukraine
A correspondent from a Russian state media outlet died in a drone attack in the part of the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia occupied by Moscow, as reported by RIA Novosti on Thursday.
"RIA Novosti's military correspondent, Ivan Zuev, died in the Zaporizhia region, and his colleague Yuri Voitkevich was seriously injured," the outlet stated, adding that Zuev died "as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack."
The deceased reporter had been working for RIA Novosti for several years and had received several awards, the agency added. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed condolences for Zuev's death and wished a speedy recovery to his injured colleague.
According to UNESCO and professional organizations, more than 20 journalists have died since the start of the war in February 2022.
Trump Warns that the US Cannot "Deplete" Its Tomahawk Missile Reserves
President Donald Trump expressed doubts about providing Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, a day before meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington. The US president stated that his country cannot "deplete" its own reserves. "We can't deplete our own country," he said in response to a question about these cruise missiles.
"We need them too, so I don't know what we can do," he added. In a chat with journalists, Trump also mentioned that he had discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the possibility of providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, and Putin "didn't like the idea."