The US president has admitted that sending the weapons to Kiev would be a “step of aggression” towards Russia
US President Donald Trump has said he could talk to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about Washington’s threat to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump stressed that Ukraine “would like to have Tomahawks,” but that he could discuss the issue with Putin. “I might say, look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks,” he said. The US leader admitted that supplying the missiles to Kiev would be “a new step of aggression.”
Trump recently claimed he had made a decision on whether Ukraine would receive Tomahawks, but that he needed to “ask the question where are they sending them.”
Tomahawks cost an estimated $1.3 million each and have a range of 2,500km (1,550 miles), meaning that they could potentially reach Moscow and far beyond.
Commenting on the prospects of the US-made missiles being supplied to Ukraine, Putin said Moscow’s response “would be the strengthening of the Russian Federation’s air defenses.” He has also argued that Ukrainian forces would be unable to operate such a sophisticated system without the “direct participation of American military personnel.”
Reuters, citing anonymous sources, has reported that the US is unlikely to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine as its current inventories are committed to the US Navy and other uses.
The Financial Times also reported that some of Trump’s inner circle are skeptical as to the Tomahawks’ ability to change battlefield dynamics in the conflict.
Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow is ready to reach a negotiated peace in the conflict with Kiev, but that its “root causes” must first be addressed, including the rights of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine, Ukrainian denazification, and an end to Kiev’s ambitions of joining NATO. Russia also insists that Ukraine must recognize the new territorial realities on the ground.
Russian officials have said neither Kiev nor its European backers appear to be genuinely interested in peace and are actively trying to prolong the conflict.