Trump rejects the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles
3 November 10:12
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he is not considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles at this stage. The head of the White House answered a journalist’s question on board Air Force One, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“No, at least for now. Yes, I can change my position, but right now, no,” the American leader said in response to a question about supplying missiles to Ukraine.
During a working lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier in October, Trump said that he would not want to supply Kyiv with Tomahawks because they are needed to protect the United States, CNN recalled on October 31. At the same time, the journalists claimed that the Pentagon approved the supply of missiles to Kyiv in early October, after assessing that there were enough in the US stockpile. The TV channel reported that the transfer of Tomahawks to the Ukrainian side required only a political decision by the US president.
Trump did not rule out a ground operation in Nigeria
On board Air Force One, the US president also commented on the prospects of sending the US military to Nigeria or conducting air strikes there. Speaking about a ground operation, Trump said: “Maybe. I mean other things. I’m envisioning a lot of things.” “They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria… They’re killing Christians and they’re killing them in very large numbers. We will not allow this to happen,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
Earlier, on November 1, the US President threatened to send the US armed forces to Nigeria “if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians.” The head of the White House posted the relevant entry on the social network Truth Social. According to Trump, in such a case, “the United States will immediately cease all aid and support to Nigeria” and, “quite possibly”, will send its forces into the country to “completely destroy the Islamic terrorists who commit these horrific atrocities.” Trump added that he had already instructed the country’s military to “prepare for possible action.”
Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth responded to his words.
“The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria – and in any other country – must stop immediately. The Department of War is preparing to act. Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrific atrocities,” he wrote on social media site X.
“The characterization of Nigeria as a country intolerant of other religions does not reflect our national reality,” Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote on the social network X on November 1. “Freedom of religion and tolerance have been and will always be the basic principles of our collective identity,” Tinubu added.
Tensions in Nigeria
The north of Nigeria is predominantly populated by Muslims, while the south is dominated by Christians, with both denominations represented almost equally. The Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram operates in the northeast of the country, and since 2009 its activities have led to more than 35,000 victims, and more than two million people have been internally displaced.
In central Nigeria, herders – mostly Muslims – have repeatedly clashed with farmers – mostly Christians. However, this conflict is generally caused by the struggle for access to land resources.
