Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is back at the White House on Friday, October 17. This time, according to reports, he will request longer-range weapons so that Ukrainian forces can strike deeper into Russia – an idea for which President Trump has shown support. The US leader believes such a capability would give Ukraine leverage to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into agreeing to a ceasefire.

### Zelensky Will Have Much to Discuss

Volodymyr Zelensky has been a frequent visitor to the White House, sometimes seeking military support or coordinating strategy for some version of a ceasefire in Ukraine. This time, one of the key subjects will be persuading the US president to provide Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles with conventional warheads (TLAM-C) cruise missiles to Ukraine.

As it stands, providing these longer-range weapons may not require much persuasion. According to *Just the News*, “Trump warned Moscow on Sunday that he was considering providing Ukraine with the long-range missiles if the war was not settled soon.” These comments came after his call with Zelensky.

While awaiting Zelensky’s arrival, President Trump took a phone call from Vladimir Putin. As with past conversations, this talk was cordial, and there was a sense of progress toward stopping the war in Ukraine. However, given the history of such engagements, skepticism remains.

After the call, Trump posted on Truth Social:
“We also spent a great deal of time talking about trade between Russia and the United States when the war with Ukraine is over. At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High-Level Advisors next week. The United States’ initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated. A meeting location is to be determined. President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed-upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ war between Russia and Ukraine to an end.”

Trump also explained that he would discuss the call with President Zelensky when they meet. Perhaps the prospect of key locations in Russia coming within range of TLAM-C missiles had a sobering impact on Putin. Nonetheless, it appears that Trump has grown impatient with Putin’s foot-dragging and is no longer inclined to defer to the Russian leader.

As *Politico* observed, “Trump has since abandoned his strategy of coddling Vladimir Putin to push Russia to the negotiating table.”

### Increasing Pressure on Russian Targets

One sure way of advancing negotiations is to put Russian infrastructure, airfields, and weapons plants at greater risk. Currently, Ukraine faces constant attacks from Russian ballistic and cruise missiles, long-range drones, and aerial bombardments from glide bombs targeting its territory — infrastructure, munitions plants, cities, and battlefield operations.

However, because of the limited range of its missiles, Ukraine must focus on targets only as far as its long-range drones can reach. Unfortunately, these drones are slow and easily intercepted by Russian air defenses.

So far, Ukraine has relied on the US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a range of about 180 miles. This pales in comparison to the TLAM-C, which can reach much farther. Current versions of the TLAM-C cruise missile have a range exceeding 1,500 miles and carry a 1,000-pound warhead.

As *Newsweek* explained, “While the missile wouldn’t be a gamechanger in itself, particularly not in the small numbers the White House would likely send if it greenlights the transfer, Tomahawks would still add significantly to how well Kyiv could hit vital Russian assets far over the border.”

### Critical Russian Targets Within TLAM-C Range

One crucial target inside Russia is the primary facility producing Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones: the Yelabuga drone factory. Situated in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone near the city of Yelabuga, this site lies about 800 miles east of the Ukraine-Russia border — well within the range of Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The drone production facility reportedly had an output of 5,700 drones by late 2024. While there are other drone production sites, the Yelabuga facility plays a key role in assembling Shahed-136 drones.

Providing TLAM-C missiles to Ukraine would serve as a powerful incentive for Putin to seriously consider negotiating a ceasefire and a final peace agreement. Disabling the Yelabuga drone assembly plant might just be the motivation needed to bring Russia to the negotiating table.

Consequently, Zelensky’s conversation with President Trump takes on much greater significance.

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*The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect those of any other affiliate.*
https://www.libertynation.com/ukraines-president-zelensky-comes-to-washington-once-again/