Kyiv, Ukraine — Nearly 60 people were injured on Tuesday after a Russian missile strike hit a hospital in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said, days before President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
Mr. Zelensky said the meeting, scheduled for Friday, will focus on Ukraine’s air defenses and the potential supply of U.S.-made Tomahawk long-range missiles, which Kyiv says are needed to counter ongoing Russian attacks. “Our focus will be on air defense and long-range capabilities to bring pressure on Russia for peace,” Mr. Zelensky wrote on X.
President Trump has warned that he may authorize the transfer of Tomahawk cruise missiles—capable of striking targets up to 2,500 kilometers away—if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not halt the war. The potential delivery would mark a significant escalation in Western military support for Ukraine and a further test of Moscow–Washington relations.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called Trump’s remarks “extremely dangerous,” warning that supplying such missiles could have “catastrophic consequences.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations condemned a separate drone attack that struck a humanitarian convoy in southern Ukraine on Monday, calling it a possible war crime. Two World Food Programme vehicles were damaged, though no injuries were reported.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, visiting London, urged European nations to strengthen their air defenses, including by building a regional “drone wall” to deter further Russian incursions.
Mr. Zelensky’s trip to Washington will include meetings with senior U.S. officials and congressional leaders. The Ukrainian delegation, led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and security chief Andriy Yermak, departed Kyiv earlier this week.
President Putin, speaking in Moscow, warned that a decision by the United States to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine would “destroy what positive progress” had recently been made in bilateral relations.
Military aid to Ukraine has declined sharply since mid-2025, according to the Kiel Institute, as new U.S. funding stalled and European deliveries slowed. Kyiv is pressing allies for renewed commitments ahead of the winter campaign.
