LONDON/MOSCOW/BRUSSELS/PRAGUE - US President Donald Trump has encouraged Kyiv to escalate deep strikes into Russian territory, even asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whether Moscow could be targeted if long-range weapons were supplied, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
"Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? ... Can you hit St. Petersburg, too?" Trump asked during the call on July 4, and Zelensky replied: "Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons," the Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the conversation.
The phone talk took place just one day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a conversation the US president reportedly described as "bad".
According to the report released by the Financial Times, although it remains uncertain whether the United States will move forward with supplying the requested weapons, sources familiar with the matter said Trump appeared eager to explore more aggressive military options to pressure Moscow into negotiations.
The report added that the White House and Ukraine's presidential office did not respond to requests for comment.
Ready for talks with Ukraine
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia remains ready for further talks with Ukraine but has not received proposals for a meeting from Kyiv.
"They want to see this dialogue in Washington, they want to see it in Europe, allegedly," Peskov said.
Russia and Ukraine held two rounds of direct talks on May 16 and June 2 in Istanbul, Turkiye. Putin previously said that both sides agreed to hold a third round of talks after the completion of the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of bodies of fallen soldiers as negotiated in previous talks.
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EU fails to approve new Russia sanctions
Meanwhile, the European Union failed to approve a new round of sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, as the move was blocked by Slovakia over concerns related to energy security, according to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Kallas said she was "really sad" the sanctions didn't get approved, adding that "the ball is in Slovakia's court".
The European Commission unveiled its 18th sanctions package last month, targeting Russia's energy sector, banking operations, and defense industry. Among the proposed measures is a ban on financial transactions involving Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Slovakia, which relies heavily on Russian gas, objected to the proposed package, citing fears of supply disruptions and rising energy costs linked to a separate EU proposal to phase out Russian gas imports by early 2028.
Purchase of US weapons for Ukraine
In another development, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the Czech Republic will not join the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine at this time.
US President Donald Trump announced on Monday an agreement with the NATO regarding weapons to assist Ukraine. Under the agreement, governments of Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada will finance bulk purchases from US manufacturers and ship the equipment directly to Kyiv.
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"The Czech Republic is focusing on other projects and ways to help Ukraine," Fiala told local media Publico.