**Ukrainians Disappointed as U.S. May Not Provide Long-Range Tomahawk Missiles; Repairs Begin at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant**
*Kyiv, Ukraine* — Ukrainians expressed disappointment on Saturday over the possibility that the United States may not supply Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk missiles. Meanwhile, efforts to repair the damaged power supply to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have eased some concerns surrounding Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. The meeting followed signals from Trump that Washington might provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles—weaponry Kyiv believes could pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. However, Zelenskyy ultimately left the meeting empty-handed, an outcome that, while disheartening, did not come as a surprise to many in Kyiv, who remain determined to end Russia’s 3 1/2-year invasion of their country.
Roman Vynnychenko, a Ukrainian military serviceman, told The Associated Press that the prospect of receiving Tomahawk missiles appeared to be a political “game.” “Ukraine won’t get those missiles,” he said. Vynnychenko emphasized the urgent need for Ukraine to procure new weapons with or without American support, as Russian drones and missiles continue to target civilian infrastructure. “Every day civilians and soldiers die, buildings collapse, our streets and cities are being destroyed,” he stated.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a grinding war of attrition has raged along a 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) frontline in eastern and southern Ukraine. President Trump’s frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly since his return to office nine months ago. In recent weeks, his tone shifted toward greater openness to helping Ukraine win the war, including potential sales of Tomahawk missiles.
However, after a lengthy phone call with Putin on Thursday, Trump announced plans to meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks. These talks have raised hopes for diplomatic progress toward ending the war. Yet after multiple failed attempts, many Ukrainians remain skeptical that a significant breakthrough is imminent.
“To tell you the truth, I look at the news, but nowadays I read only the headlines. And even those make me sad,” said Victoria Khramtsova, a psychologist. “We have been at war for more than three years. We just want peace.”
Meanwhile, Russia continued its aerial bombardment of Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Air Force on Saturday, Russian forces launched three missiles and 164 drones overnight. Ukrainian defenses successfully shot down 136 of those drones.
Two people were injured after Russian drones targeted a gas station in the Zarichny district of Sumy in northeast Ukraine, local officials reported. The victims were two women aged 51 and 53, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov.
**Crucial Repairs Underway at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant**
In other developments, repairs have begun on the damaged power supply to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog announced Saturday. The restoration effort aims to end a precarious four-week outage that had left the plant reliant on backup generators.
Russian and Ukrainian forces established special ceasefire zones to enable safe repairs, according to Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He hailed the restoration of off-site power as “crucial for nuclear safety and security.”
“Both sides engaged constructively with the IAEA to enable the complex repair plan to proceed,” Grossi said in a statement.
The repair work will be carried out in two phases: first on the Ferosplavna-1 power line, then on the Dniprovska power line, the IAEA explained. This marks the 42nd time since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022 that power lines to the plant have required restoration.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, has been operating on diesel backup generators since September 23, after its last remaining external power line was severed in attacks blamed by both Russia and Ukraine on one another.
Located in an area under Russian control since early in the invasion, the plant is not currently in service. However, it still needs reliable power to cool its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel to prevent any catastrophic nuclear incidents.
Grossi emphasized that emergency diesel generators are intended as the “last line of defense” to cool reactors, but their frequent use has become “an all too common occurrence.”
“As long as this devastating conflict goes on, nuclear safety and security remains under severe threat. Today, we had some rare positive news to report, but we are far from being out of the woods yet,” he warned.
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*For continuous updates on this developing story, stay tuned.*
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/18/trump-zelenskyy-meeting-tomahawk-missiles/
