Kremlin Issues Severe Warning as US Considers Supplying Tomahawk Missiles to Ukraine: Potential for Nuclear Escalation

The Kremlin expressed profound concern on Sunday regarding the potential US provision of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, cautioning that the conflict has reached a critical juncture with escalation occurring from all parties involved.

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that before authorizing Tomahawk missiles, he would require clarity on Ukraine's intended use, as he wishes to avoid escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Nevertheless, he mentioned having "sort of made a decision" on the matter.

With a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), Tomahawk missiles would enable Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes deep into Russian territory, including Moscow. According to the US Congressional Research Service, certain retired Tomahawk variants are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

"The topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state television reporter Pavel Zarubin in statements published Sunday. "Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides."

The Ukraine conflict, Europe's deadliest since World War Two, has triggered the most significant confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, with Russian officials now describing themselves as engaged in a "hot" conflict with Western nations.

Peskov emphasized that if Tomahawks were launched against Russia, Moscow would need to consider that some versions of these missiles can be equipped with nuclear warheads.

"Just imagine: a long-range missile is launched and is flying, and we know that it could be nuclear. What should the Russian Federation think? Just how should Russia react? Military experts overseas should understand this," Peskov stated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month declared that deploying Tomahawks would be impossible without direct participation of US military personnel, and therefore any supply of such weapons to Ukraine would trigger a "qualitatively new stage of escalation".

The Financial Times reported Sunday that the US has been assisting Ukraine in conducting long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities for months. According to the FT, US intelligence helps Kyiv with route planning, altitude, timing, and mission decisions, enabling Ukraine's long-range attack drones to evade Russian air defenses.

Putin characterizes the war as a watershed moment in Moscow's relations with the West, which he claims humiliated Russia following the 1991 Soviet collapse by expanding NATO and encroaching on what he considers Moscow's sphere of influence, including Ukraine and Georgia.

Ukraine and its allies have portrayed the conflict as an imperial-style land grab and have consistently pledged to defeat Russian forces.