Ukraine to get Tomahawks if ‘war not settled’ – Trump

US President Donald Trump has said he might talk to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about the possibility of sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kiev. He did not elaborate on whether he has made the decision, speaking to reporters on Sunday.

Trump stressed that Ukraine “would like to have Tomahawks,” but he would discuss that with Putin. “I might say, look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them tomahawks,” he said.

Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow was ready to end the conflict, but the “root causes” of it need to be addressed first, including the rights of the Russian population living in Ukraine, neo-Nazi divisions, NATO expansion.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the authorities in Kiev of being unwilling to end hostilities.

Trump has recently claimed he actually made the decision on whether Ukraine will get long-range Tomahawk missiles, but will have 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 missiles being supplied to Ukraine, Putin said that “our response would be the strengthening of the Russian Federation’s air defenses.” He 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, reported that the US was unlikely to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine, as the current inventories were committed to the US Navy and other uses.

The Financial Times also reported that some people inside Trump’s inner circle were skeptical as to the Tomahawks’ ability to change battlefield dynamics.