This diplomatic stalemate comes amid a discussion within the Trump administration regarding a major escalation in military support for Kyiv. Vice President Vance also indicated on September 28 that the White House is "looking at" a request to supply Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, a decision that President Donald Trump will ultimately make. The potential provision of these advanced weapons follows a recent meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where President Zelenskyy requested the Tomahawks as a means to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiations.
Vice President Vance expressed the White House's frustration over Moscow's reluctance, noting that the Russians have “refused to sit down with any bilateral meetings with the Ukrainians” and “refused to sit down with any trilateral meetings where the president or some other member of the administration could sit down with the Russians and the Ukrainians”. The administration maintains that its position has always been focused on actively pursuing peace since the start of President Trump’s term.
Vance’s comments reinforce a tougher tone recently adopted by President Trump toward Russia. Following his September 23 meeting with President Zelenskyy in New York, President Trump posted on social media that he believes "Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form." Vance echoed this sentiment, arguing that the Russians "have to ask themselves how many more people are they going to have to lose and how many more people are they going to have to kill for very little military advantage."
The United States has been overseeing a new NATO-financed programme to supply weapons to Ukraine under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme, with initial aid packages including Patriot air defences and HIMARS rocket systems. The decision on Tomahawks, which would provide Kyiv with the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia, remains a highly sensitive topic as the White House continues to push Russia to "wake up to reality on the ground" and enter serious negotiations.