Washington, DC [US], October 7 (ANI): US President Donald Trump said Monday from the Oval Office that he wants to know Ukraine’s intended use if supplied with Tomahawk missiles, as he reiterated calls to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict to avoid escalation.
When asked whether he had decided to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine or sell them to NATO for onward transfer, Trump said, “I think I want to find out what they’re doing with them. You know, where are they sending them? I guess I have to ask that question… That war should never have started. Would have never started if such bad judgment was used there, I think on both sides. But nobody looks good with the war — with Russia and Ukraine. Nobody. It’s been horrible. This week they lost over 7,000 soldiers. Between the two of them, every week they’re losing 7,000, 8,000, 5,000… I’m not looking to see escalation.”
Kyiv has long sought powerful long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia, but Western allies, particularly NATO members, have mostly been reluctant, Al Jazeera reported.
Tomahawk missiles are long-range, subsonic cruise missiles used by the US Navy for precise land strikes and can be launched from ships, ground platforms, or submarines. They gained prominence during the 1991 Gulf War and are reserved for America’s closest allies, including the UK and Japan. The latest variant, Block IV, can feed live targeting information during flight.
With a range of 1,250–2,500 km and a speed of 880 km/h, Tomahawks carry high-explosive warheads capable of penetrating hardened targets such as military bunkers. They are designed to avoid radar detection by flying at low altitudes and high subsonic speeds. The US Navy has operated Tomahawks since the 1970s, and they are manufactured solely by US defense contractor RTX.
Supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine could severely strain US-Russia relations, which had shown signs of improvement following the Alaska Summit in August. On October 2, speaking at the 22nd Valdai International Discussion Club meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that their deployment would be “detrimental” to bilateral relations.
“Will this damage our relations, considering that we have finally started seeing light at the end of the tunnel? Of course, this would be detrimental to our relations. How can it be otherwise? You cannot use the Tomahawks without the direct involvement of US military personnel. This would signal the advent of a totally new stage in this escalation, including in terms of Russia’s relations with the United States,” Putin said.
The issue now stands at a delicate crossroads, with implications for both the trajectory of the Ukraine conflict and the broader geopolitical balance. (ANI)
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