US president says he has ‘sort of made a decision’ on whether to supply long-range missiles; Denmark to step up checks on oil tankers after drone sightings. What we know on day 1,322
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US president Donald Trump has said he would want to know what Ukraine planned to do with US-made Tomahawk missiles before agreeing to supply them because he does not want to escalate Russia’s war against Ukraine. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked the US to sell Tomahawks to European nations that would send them to Ukraine. Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500km (1,550 miles), putting Moscow in the range of Ukraine’s arsenal, were Kyiv to be granted them. Asked by reporters at the White House on Monday whether he had decided about supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, Trump did not rule it out and said he had “sort of made a decision”. “I think I want to find out what they’re doing with them. I would ask some questions. I’m not looking to escalate that war.”
The Kremlin on Monday welcomed Trump’s comments about Russia’s offer to extend the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the US, saying it raised hope for keeping the pact alive after it expires in February. Last month, Russian president Vladimir Putin declared his readiness to adhere to nuclear arms limits under the 2010 New Start arms reduction treaty for one more year, and urged Washington to follow suit. When asked about the proposal, Trump said on Sunday it “sounds like a good idea to me”.
