Zelenskiy says he asked Trump last year for long-range weapons if Russia rejects ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Finland's President Alexander Stubb, pose for a family photo amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Drago/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that he had asked Donald Trump last year to supply his country with long-range weapons if Russia continued rejecting a ceasefire in its war on Ukraine.

Zelenskiy was referring to his "victory plan" that he presented last year to top officials from the administration of then-President Joe Biden, as well as to Trump, who was then running for office.

He made the remark during a joint briefing in Kyiv with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. (This story has been corrected to clarify that Zelenskiy asked Trump for long-range weapons last year, in the headline and in paragraphs 1, 2)

(Reporting by Max Hunder and Yuliia Dysa; Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Sharon Singleton)