Trump wanted to "make them feel the pain," as he put it on the July 4 call, the Financial Times reported, and force Russia into peace negotiations. Zelensky said Ukraine could hit the cities if the U.S. supplied the weapons, per the Post.

U.S. President Donald Trump has privately encouraged Ukraine to step up strikes deep in Russian territory, even asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy whether he could hit Moscow if the U.S. provided long-range weapons,

The White House has played down reports that Donald Trump privately encouraged Volodymyr Zelensky to strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg. That's despite the US president's promise to deliver more weapons to Ukraine via NATO allies,