Trump rules out sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for now

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he is not presently considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. Speaking to reporters while traveling, Trump gave a definitive "No. Not really," when asked about the potential transfer of these advanced weapons systems to Kyiv.

A Hands-Off Approach to Ukraine

Elaborating on his stance regarding the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, President Trump indicated a preference for non-intervention in this phase. "There's no final straw. Sometimes you have to let it fight out. And they're fighting and they're fighting it out," he remarked. He also clarified that he does not intend to use frozen Russian assets as a lever in negotiations, distancing himself from such discussions currently taking place between Europe and Russia.

Potential Military Actions and Trade Policy

The president's comments extended to other potential foreign policy actions. He refused to rule out military options, including airstrikes or boots on the ground, in Nigeria following his prior threats over the alleged killing of Christians, stating, "I envisage a lot of things." Regarding Venezuela, he denied reports of imminent strikes on its military installations, saying no decision had been made. On the domestic front, Trump strongly defended his use of tariffs, calling a related Supreme Court case "one of the most important decisions" in US history and arguing that tariffs are essential for national security.

Legal Challenges to Tariff Authority

The US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on November 5 regarding the lawfulness of President Trump's use of emergency powers to impose widespread global tariffs. This follows a ruling by a federal appeals court in August which found that he had exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law from 1977 designed for imposing sanctions during extraordinary threats.