Donald Trump: “I don’t want to abandon Kyiv” but opposes the use of American missiles in Russia

The President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has expressed his opposition to the use of long-range American missiles in Russia while reaffirming his commitment not to abandon Kyiv. These statements were published on Thursday, December 12, in an interview with Time magazine.

In the article, which accompanies his designation as Time’s “Person of the Year 2024,” Donald Trump stated:

“I am strongly opposed to sending missiles hundreds of kilometers inside Russia. Why are we doing this? (…) We’re only escalating this war and making it worse.”

These remarks, dated November 25, underline his desire to reach a peace agreement while maintaining support for Ukraine:

“I want to reach a deal, and the only way to do so is by not giving up,” he emphasized.

The American ATACMS missiles, with a range of 300 kilometers, along with British Storm Shadow missiles, were recently used by Kyiv to strike targets in Russia, provoking strong reactions from Moscow.

A red line, says Moscow

The Kremlin reacted sharply to these strikes, deeming them a “red line” crossed. Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use the experimental hypersonic Orechnik missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, against decision-making centers in Kyiv or Western countries supporting Ukraine.

The Ukrainian attack, which reportedly targeted a Russian military airfield on Wednesday using ATACMS missiles, has further heightened tensions. On Thursday, the Kremlin vowed an “inevitable” response to the operation.

Donald Trump, while firmly opposing military escalation, faces a complex equation between his aim to negotiate lasting peace and managing international reactions to the conflict.