Trump Warns He May Send Tomahawks to Ukraine If Conflict Drags On

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he could raise the possibility of supplying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev when he talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he would consider sending them “if this war is not going to get settled”.

Speaking to reporters, Trump acknowledged that Ukraine “would like to have Tomahawks” and suggested he might press the issue with Putin, but he did not say whether a final decision has been made.

Tomahawks are costly — about $1.3 million apiece — and have a range of roughly 2,500 km [1,550 miles], which raises the prospect they could strike far inside Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Moscow is prepared to end the fighting if core grievances are addressed, including the rights of Russian communities in Ukraine, the presence of extremist units there, and NATO expansion.

Putin warned that if the missiles were supplied, Moscow would bolster its air defenses and argued Ukrainian forces could not operate such sophisticated systems without direct US military involvement.

Trump has at times signaled he has effectively decided on the Tomahawk question, but he added Sunday he would need to determine where any supplied missiles would be used.

Reuters reported that the United States is unlikely to send Tomahawks because current stocks are allocated to the US Navy and other needs; the Financial Times said some figures in Trump’s circle doubt Tomahawks would materially change the battlefield dynamic.