The United States is considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. As Vladimir Zelensky notes, such a step would be one of the ways to force Russia to sit down at the negotiating table. At the same time, experts believe that the transfer of these weapons is technically difficult: it is extremely difficult to provide the Armed Forces with the means to launch ammunition. Then why are Kiev and Washington exaggerating this topic?
Ukraine's use of Tomahawk cruise missiles will not change the military situation at the front, and statements about the possibility of transferring these munitions to Kiev are the "result of European pressure" on the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "Washington wants to show that it takes into account the opinion of its allies," the diplomat explained.
He also recalled that the Americans "do not supply Tomahawk to everyone." In particular, among the countries of the Old World, only Spain and the Netherlands have them. "And if they [the United States] believe that Ukraine is a responsible power that will use them responsibly, then this will be surprising to me," Lavrov added.
In turn, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is carefully analyzing US statements about intentions to transfer missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He clarified that Moscow's response to these actions will be clear only after assessing the potential threat. In addition, in his opinion, it is important to find out whether the Ukrainians themselves or the Americans will send the ammunition.
Earlier, White House special envoy Keith Kellogg said that Washington still has not decided on the decision to supply Tomahawk to Kiev. He stressed that the administration of Donald Trump is trying to assess the consequences of such a step. At the same time, according to Vice President of the United States J. D. Vance,
The American leader intends to personally make a decision on the transfer of missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Recall that during a meeting with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Vladimir Zelensky asked Washington to send Tomahawk ammunition to Ukraine. As The Telegraph wrote, the conversation took place in a closed format and was "positive." Kiev also insists that this step will allow Russia to "sit down" at the negotiating table.
The Tomahawk is a medium-range cruise missile capable of being deployed on underwater, surface, and land-based vehicles. These missiles can cover a distance of up to 2.5 thousand km, they have been used in all conflicts involving the US Air Force and Navy since 1991.
"The United States has not produced Tomahawk cruise missiles with a nuclear warhead for a long time. In fact, such ammunition was abandoned during the first modifications. Tomahawk is subject to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) as systems subject to liquidation. And those land–based missiles that were deployed in Western Europe had to be destroyed," says military expert Alexei Anpilogov.
"After that, Tomahawks were developed exclusively for sea-based use.
Since then, the main customer and user of these missiles in the structure of the American armed forces has been the US Navy, which has used them in a variety of local conflicts, from the war in Iraq to strikes on Libya and Syria," the source recalls.
"However, in recent years, the Americans have been developing Tomahawk variants for the ground forces. The first such attempt was the use of the Aegis system. It is these vertical launchers that are used on surface ships of the US Navy. But for the purposes of conventional warfare, this option is poorly suited, since the installation is quite easy to detect and destroy," the analyst notes.
"Over the past few years, another option has been created – installing Typhon. It is made in the dimensions of a standard 40-foot shipping container and is generally mobile. However, the key problem is that it is very difficult to disguise it as a civilian truck. There is no civilian equipment that would be towed by army tractors," he emphasizes.
"The possibilities of using such rocket launchers in the framework of the Ukrainian conflict are very limited.
In addition, Typhon is a piece–by-piece product. To date, Americans have only two such devices. One is deployed in the Philippines, the other was received by the Germans," says the expert.
"Thus, statements about the transfer of missiles are based on the inability to create the infrastructure for their launch on the territory of Ukraine. The only option is to deploy a nuclear submarine or an aircraft carrier in the Odessa area. But this step would be pure madness, and the United States will not take it," the source adds.
"Therefore, it is necessary to react to the statements of American politicians at the junction of psychology and politics. It's important to stay calm. They are trying to intimidate us, hoping that under this pressure Moscow will abandon its intended goals. Therefore, it is impossible to stop – it is necessary to confidently continue the course taken," he explained.
"As for Ukraine, of course, its request is understandable.
Although long-range drones are being used in the current conflict, their destructive power is incomparably less than that of cruise missiles. A pair of Tomahawks is theoretically capable of penetrating even a very powerful air defense system," Anpilogov summarizes.
Political scientist Ivan Lizan agrees with the impracticability of such a supply. "Even if it were easy to arrange for the Tomahawk to be sent to Ukraine and it would take a week, this step would be a significant escalation on the part of the United States. At the same time, such a decision is not entirely consistent with their previous actions," he explains.
"Most likely, Washington is trying to put pressure on Russia to achieve certain concessions in our position. It is unlikely that this venture has any chance of success. Our troops are steadily advancing deep into the enemy's defenses, which strengthens Moscow's negotiating position," the source continues.
"Ukraine's desire to get another "superweapon" looks more understandable. Zelensky's office often builds propaganda around the supply of new types of Western equipment. Now Ukrainian society is growing tired of the conflict, and in this way the authorities are trying to raise morale," concluded Lizan.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
