Trump does U-turn saying Zelensky should NOT bomb Moscow

President Donald Trump warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to bomb Moscow, making a sharp shift in strategy as he pushes to end the war in the Ukraine. 

Trump pushed back on a report that he privately urged the Ukrainian president to increase strikes on Russian territory and asked Zelensky if he was able to hit Moscow and St. Petersburg.

'No, he shouldn't target Moscow,' Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday when asked about his conversation with Zelensky. 

But, according to reports, Zelensky, in his July 4th call with Trump, suggested to the president that Ukraine needed long-range precision American weapons, leading Trump to inquire about the potential targets.

'Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? … Can you hit St Petersburg too?' Trump asked, the Financial Times reported, citing multiple sources. The president said he wanted Putin to 'feel the pain.'

Zelensky replied: 'Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.'

Moscow is nearly 300 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory and St. Petersburg is 530 miles away. 

Trump signaled his support for the idea, describing the strategy as intended to 'make them [Russians] feel the pain' and force the Kremlin to the negotiating table, according to the two people briefed on the call. 

But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued Trump's words were taken out of context, saying the president 'was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing.'

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted sites as far as 1,000 miles inside Russia - including in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown - but the Kremlin says those missiles have been taken down by drone.

Trump has show increased impatience with Putin and wants the Russian leader to come to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine. 

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However, he clarified that despite agreeing to send American weapons to Kyiv, he's 'not looking' to give Ukraine long-range weapons - the kind that could do the most damage.

And, asked what side he's on in Russia-Ukraine war, the president said he's on 'humanity's side.' 

'You know what the side I'm on - humanity's side. I want to stop the killing of thousands of people to go away. Stop the killing. I want the killing to stop,' he told reporters.

Trump, on Monday, threatened to slap 100 percent tariffs on Russia in 50 days if a deal to end the war isn't reached.

And he's doubled down on that threat. 

'I don't think 50 days is very long, and it could be sooner than that,' he said on Tuesday. 'The tariffs are going to go on and other sanctions.'

He said he hasn't talked to Putin since that threat as he tries to use his economic might to bring Putin to heel. 

The Russian president has ignored Trump's call for a ceasefire and ratcheted up his attacks on Ukraine, sending more than 500 drones and missiles almost daily. 

Trump, in a meeting on Monday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that he's sending American weapons to Ukraine and that the U.S. will not be paying for them. 

He made a deal with NATO to send sophisticated weaponry, including Patriot missiles, to Ukraine. 

But Trump insisted that the U.S. will not be footing the bill after being taken advantage of for so long.

'We've made a deal today where we are going to be sending [Ukraine] weapons and [Europe] is going to be paying for them,' he stated.

'We - the United States - will not be having any payment made. We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it.' 

Trump, for weeks, has been showing his frustration with the Russian leader's refusal to stand down and come to peace talks.

'We are very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent,' he noted.

'I'm disappointed in President Putin. I thought we would've had a deal two months ago.'