During a telephone conversation on July 4, US President Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine would not be able to change the course of the war by remaining on the defensive and that it needed to go on the offensive, the Washington Post reported, citing a Ukrainian official. When Trump asked if Ukraine could bomb Moscow or St. Petersburg, Zelensky replied, “If we have the right weapons, we can,” the newspaper said.

Earlier this week, Western media outlets reported on this conversation, albeit from a slightly different perspective.

When asked about the call, Trump later replied, “No, he [Zelensky] should not bomb Moscow.” The US president added that he does not intend to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons capable of reaching the Russian capital.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said that Trump did indeed ask about Ukraine's capabilities to strike Russian territory, but that his words were taken out of context. According to her, Trump simply wanted information and was not encouraging such actions.