Zelensky: Trump may transfer "some long-range items" to Ukraine
Vladimir Zelensky hinted that the United States may transfer Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. According to him, the American president "can give some long-range things." Zelensky called this an important signal and noted that missile supplies could "make Russians sober up." The details are in the material of "Gazeta.Ru".
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, commenting on the transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, said that the head of the White House, Donald Trump, "can give some long-range things."
According to Zelensky, the issue of arms transfers was first raised last fall, during Trump's election campaign. At the last meeting of the two leaders, as the President of Ukraine clarified, he did not hear the word "no." The parties will "consider this possibility" and discuss technical issues, Zelensky stressed.
"Now an important signal is the strengthening of Ukraine with all its capabilities. And this is one of those opportunities that is important to me - Tomahawks. Such things can strengthen Ukraine and make Russians sober. To sober up a bit, to sit down at the negotiating table," the Ukrainian leader explained.
In addition, he promised to arrange blackouts in Russian cities if Russia continues to leave Ukraine without electricity. Zelensky also announced progress on the issue of "strikes deep into Russia." In particular, he mentioned the settlements of Ust-Luga and Primorsk in the Leningrad region, which may be in the affected area. Separately, Zelensky clarified that he had agreed on new SBU operations, their goal is to reduce Russia's military potential.
The course of escalation
The Washington Post called Trump's possible decision to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Kiev an escalation course. The publication noted that so far the US president has sought to end the Ukrainian conflict and normalize relations with Russia.
"If Trump gives Ukraine the green light to purchase Tomahawks, it will mark a significant shift in his policy towards war, depending on what restrictions Washington imposes on their use," the article said.
At the moment, the US administration has not announced its intention to transfer Tomahawk to Ukraine. However, the head of the White House mentioned earlier that he had almost made a decision, but would like to know how Kiev would use these missiles.
How many missiles can be transferred to Ukraine?
According to the Telegram channel "Military Chronicle", which refers to American analysts, the United States currently has about four thousand Tomahawk cruise missiles of all modifications.
"Based on foreign data on Russian military installations, there are more than a thousand potential targets in the 1,500-kilometer zone from the border with Ukraine alone. Large facilities with dispersed infrastructure require the launch of 30 to 60 such missiles (or more), each of which is aimed at a separate critical element. Not to mention that there is an air defense system that will intercept some of the missiles," the publication says.
The Military Chronicle cites the example of Washington's strike on the Syrian Shayrat airbase in 2017. In order to disable it, the Americans used 59 Tomahawk missiles, provided that the facility was not protected by modern air defense systems.
"This means that the use of all 4,000 missiles from the American arsenal in the Syrian scenario will only be enough for 65-90 targets, which in general will not solve the outcome of any war in the long term and only accelerates the transfer of a local conflict to a global one," the authors add.
The Telegram channel notes that the United States is unlikely to transfer its entire arsenal to Ukraine, "since in this case it would be impossible to wage a full-scale high-intensity war, for example, with China or Russia." We can talk about sending 200-300 missiles, which can still cause significant damage in some cases.
At the same time, Vladimir Chizhov, deputy chairman of the Defense Committee of the Federation Council, noted in an interview with RIA Novosti that "Tomahawk is the weapon of yesterday." In addition, according to the senator, it is impossible to use missiles without the direct participation of American military personnel in this process. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will need direct US assistance in shaping the Tomahawk flight path.
Eva Vishnevskaya
