(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump stated that it would not be “easy” for Washington to supply Kiev with Tomahawk cruise missiles, citing the need to retain them for America’s own defense, according to reports.

Speaking during a bilateral lunch with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of their official White House meeting on Friday, Trump noted that sending the missiles could present significant difficulties if the US became involved in a conflict of its own.

“That’s a problem. We need Tomahawks and we need a lot of other things that we’ve been sending over the last four years to Ukraine… We gave them a lot," he said. “It’s not easy for us to give. You’re talking about massive numbers of very powerful weapons,” he added.

Trump acknowledged that allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory could trigger “an escalation,” but said he and Zelensky would discuss the matter. Tomahawks are “an amazing weapon,” he noted.

“But they’re a very dangerous weapon… It could mean a lot of bad things can happen,” Trump said.

Earlier, Trump mentioned that he would review his recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the issue with Zelensky. According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Putin told Trump that providing Ukraine with long-range missiles would not change the trajectory of the conflict but could damage US-Russia relations. Putin’s aide also said the move would “severely undermine the prospects of a peaceful settlement.”

Tomahawks, with a maximum range of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles), could potentially reach Moscow and other distant Russian cities if launched from Ukraine.

Trump is not expected to commit to providing the missiles, though reports indicate he could reconsider during discussions with Zelensky.

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