Trump Rules Out Long-Range Missiles for Ukraine

Only this week are further contents of a July 4 phone call between Presidents Trump and Zelensky being revealed, but it comes amid accusations of fake news and taking statements out of context.

"Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? … Can you hit St Petersburg too?" - that's reportedly what Trump posed to the Ukrianian leader in their July 4th call, which came the day following the president had a disappointing call Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky responded: "Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons." All of this is according to a report in Financial Times, which the White House is now pushing back against. The FT presented the exchange as indicative of a new US approach of quietly encouraging Ukraine's military to strike Moscow and other targets deeper inside Russia.

Trump sought to clarify in remarks to reporters on Tuesday that Zelensky "shouldn’t target Moscow" and proclaimed in interesting and ironic remarks that he's "on nobody’s side" - but that simply he wants the killing to stop.

The major announcement which had been planned for Monday did not include any new package of offensive long-range missiles (that the public knowns about at least).