Trump Signals Potential Tomahawk Missile Supply to Ukraine if Russia Continues War

Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), sufficient to reach deep into Russian territory.

Washington:

US President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he may provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin fails to end the ongoing conflict.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his flight to Israel, Trump confirmed discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy regarding weapons requests, including Tomahawk missiles. The two leaders had telephone conversations on both Saturday and Sunday.

Tomahawk missiles, with their 2,500 km (1,550 miles) range capability, could potentially strike targets deep within Russia, including Moscow. The Kremlin has issued warnings against supplying these weapons to Ukraine, with Trump acknowledging that their introduction would represent "a new step of aggression" in the conflict.

Trump explained that any missile provision would occur indirectly: "The United States would not sell missiles directly to Ukraine, but provide them to NATO, which can then offer them to the Ukrainians." He added, "Yeah, I might tell him (Putin), if the war is not settled, we may very well do it. We may not, but we may do it. … Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so."

Zelenskiy has assured that Ukraine would utilize Tomahawk missiles solely for military objectives and would not target Russian civilians. "We never attacked their civilians. This is the big difference between Ukraine and Russia," the Ukrainian leader stated on Fox News' "Sunday Briefing" program. "That's why, if we speak about long-range (missiles), we speak only about military goals."

Zelenskiy's remarks, recorded on Saturday and broadcast Sunday, followed his second conversation with Trump in two days. The Ukrainian president confirmed ongoing discussions regarding potential long-range missile supplies from Washington.

Trump previously expressed that before approving Tomahawk provision, he wants clarity on Ukraine's intended use to avoid escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Zelenskiy acknowledged he continues working to persuade Trump on the missile deal, stating, "We count on such decisions, but we'll see."

Earlier this month, Putin claimed that Tomahawk deployment would be impossible without direct US military personnel involvement, suggesting that supplying such missiles to Ukraine would trigger a "qualitatively new stage of escalation."

In his Sunday evening address in Ukraine, Zelenskiy interpreted Russia's concerns as motivation to continue pursuing this option: "We see and hear that Russia is afraid that the Americans may give us Tomahawks — that this kind of pressure may work for peace."

The Ukraine conflict represents Europe's deadliest since World War II, with Russian officials describing it as a "hot" conflict with the West. Putin characterizes it as a pivotal moment in Moscow's Western relations, claiming Russia was humiliated after the Soviet Union's 1991 collapse through NATO expansion and encroachment on what he considers Moscow's sphere of influence, including Ukraine and Georgia.

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

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