Trump Rules Out Supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks Despite Pentagon’s Approval
The US President, Donald Trump, has ruled out supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles at the current time.
Trump’s reluctance came after the Pentagon had given green light to selling Ukraine the missiles, which can strike deep inside Russian territories, leaving the final decision to the US President.
No Missiles for Ukraine
On Sunday, Trump dismissed the idea of providing Ukraine with the Tomahawks at the current time, but said he could change his mind later, according to Reuters.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the US President said: “No, not really,” in response to a question about whether he was considering a deal to sell the missiles. However, he added that he could change his mind later.
The Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles have the capability of striking deep inside Russia, reaching Moscow and other major cities. Ukraine has long sought to get the missiles, believing they could be a game changer in pressing the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to negotiate.
Trump’s Reluctance on Tomahawks
Trump had shown openness to supplying Kyiv with the missiles, despite Putin’s warning that such a move could undermine Russia-US relations. Earlier in October, he suggested that he could give Ukraine the Tomahawks if Putin refused to hold serious peace negotiations.
“The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon, and honestly, Russia does not need that,” Trump said at the time.
However, the US President later seemed hesitant on the matter, particularly after a lengthy phone conversation with his Russian counterpart. During a meeting with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House, Trump cited concerns over Tomahawks stockpile.
“I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace. We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks,” Trump noted, adding that “we don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.”
A Game-Changer
The Tomahawk missile is an effective and relatively cheap weaponry, costing $2 million per missile. It is a sea-launched missile and has been deployed in several US strikes, including the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
The missile has a range of between 1,600 and 2,500 kilometers, nearly the same as Ukraine’s long-range drones but it can deliver a more powerful blow. It is equipped with advanced guidance technology and can travel at high subsonic speeds. The missile also flies at low altitudes, making it harder to detect or intercept.
Ukraine needs the missiles to strike deep inside Russia’ territories, targeting refineries, airbases and other key infrastructure to cripple Russian advances. “It’s very difficult just to operate with only with Ukrainian drones. We need long-range Tomahawks,” Zelensky said after meeting Trump in October.
He added that the Tomahawks would “strengthen Ukraine and force the Russians to sober up a little (and) sit down at the negotiating table.”
Pentagon’s Position
The Pentagon has given the White House an approval to provide Ukraine with the Tomahawks, leaving the final political decision to Trump, CNN reported citing three US and European officials familiar with the matter.
The approval followed an assessment that the US has a sufficient stockpile of Tomahawks to supply Kyiv with the missiles. The officials said that the White House learnt of the Joint Staff’s assessment just before the meeting of Trump and Zelensky earlier this month.
However, the missiles are not completely off the table and the US administration has drawn up plans to provide them to Ukraine quickly should Trump give the order, according to CNN.
Meanwhile, US defense officials have doubts regarding Ukraine’s ability to train and deploy the Tomahawks, including the lack of ships or submarines required to launch the missiles.
