Trump Criticizes Putin Over Ukraine War: Potential US Tomahawk Missile Supply Could Shift Battlefield Dynamics

Trump on Tuesday criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Washington:

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed criticism toward Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the continuing war in Ukraine, stating it was "making him look very bad."

"I don't know why he continues with this war," Trump remarked. "He should have won that war in one week."

Trump shared these comments during a bilateral lunch with Argentine President Javier Milei at the White House. This meeting occurred shortly after the US government announced a $20 billion financial package to bolster Argentina's economy.

The statements were made ahead of Trump's scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, which is anticipated to focus on continued US support for Kyiv.

This meeting follows reports from October 13 indicating that Trump was considering providing Ukraine with US-made Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles before finalizing a decision on weapons supply, according to several local media outlets.

"I might have to speak to Russia, to be honest with you, about Tomahawks," the US leader informed reporters on Sunday aboard Air Force One while traveling to West Asia.

He further stated that he intended to send Kyiv Tomahawks if the Ukraine conflict "was not going to get settled," as reported by Russian news agency TASS.

During these discussions, NATO ally Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told ABC News that a potential US decision to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could help "push Russia back," and would convey "a very strong message" to Moscow.

According to the Missile Defence Project at the Washington D.C.-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), as cited by ABC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously confirmed that Kyiv was seeking access to the long-range missile, variants of which have ranges extending up to 1,550 miles.

Zelensky mentioned on Sunday that he had spoken with Trump for the second time in two days, describing their conversations about the war with Russia, Ukraine's military capabilities, and its energy sector as "very productive."

On social media platform X, the Ukrainian President stated that his discussions with Trump "covered all the aspects of the situation," including Ukraine's defence, air defence, resilience, and long-range capabilities.

He added that the leaders also addressed "many details" regarding Ukraine's energy sector, though he did not provide further elaboration.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News aired on Sunday, Zelensky expressed optimism that Trump's success in securing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire could establish a precedent for achieving a similar resolution with Russia and ending the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that earlier this month, on October 2, President Vladimir Putin, during his address at the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club, stated that Tomahawk missiles "could not be used" without the direct involvement of US military personnel.

He cautioned that such an action would signify "a qualitatively new stage of escalation" in relations between Russia and the United States.

On October 5, Putin further warned that a potential US decision to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine might "ruin the positive trend" in Russia-US relations, TASS reported.

The BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, produced by RTX Corporation, is a precision-guided, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that has been operational since the early 1980s.

The US-manufactured missiles are typically launched from warships, submarines, or specialized ground systems.

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), at least 1,945 Russian military installations lie within range of the 1,550-mile variant of the Tomahawk, and at least 1,655 could be reached by the 1,000-mile variant.

"Ukraine likely could significantly degrade Russia's frontline battlefield performance by targeting a vulnerable subset of rear support areas that sustain and support Russia's frontline operations," the ISW noted in its October 5 update.

The ISW further indicated that Ukraine's capability to launch missile strikes deep into Russia's rear with larger payloads could enable it to target key military assets, such as the Shahed drone factory in Yelabuga, Republic of Tatarstan, or the Engels-2 Air Base in Saratov Oblast -- from where Russia dispatches strategic bombers that fire air-launched cruise missiles at Ukraine.