Lack of decision on Tomahawks made Russia less keen on diplomacy, Zelenskiy says

KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia "almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy" due to the postponement of a decision by the U.S. administration on Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine. 

Zelenskiy, in his nightly address, said he and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed that a starting point for talks would be with the two sides at their current positions on the battlefield.

"Instead, Russia is once again doing everything it can to abandon diplomacy," Zelenskiy said.

"And as soon as the issue of long-range mobility became a little further away for us – for Ukraine – Russia almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy."

"The greater the Ukrainian long-range capability, the greater the Russian willingness to end the war. These past few weeks have confirmed this once again."

The Tomahawks, he said, had become "a strong investment in diplomacy" and Ukraine would hold further discussions on long-range weapons with its European and U.S. allies.

A planned summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was put on hold on Tuesday, as Moscow's rejection of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine cast a cloud over attempts at negotiations.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Ron Popeski and Deepa Babington)