The Pentagon approved the delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, after concluding that the shipment would not compromise the United States’ military reserves, according to North American and European sources cited by CNN. The final political decision, however, remains in the hands of President Donald Trump.
O North American leader has been reticent on this matter in recent times. Days before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump had indicated that Washington “has a lot of Tomahawks” and could consider sending them to Kiev. However, in the working meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House, Trump retreated and stated that he preferred not to supply the missiles, justifying that the United States “does not want to offer the equipment it needs to protect its own country”.
According to sources cited by CNN, the turnaround occurred after a telephone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin leader warned that the Tomahawks could hit major Russian cities, such as Moscow or Saint Petersburg, without significantly altering the course of the war, but severely deteriorating relations between Moscow and Washington.
Now, Despite Pentagon approval, doubts persist about how Ukraine could launch the missiles if Trump finally decides to give the green light to the operation. Normally fired from ships or submarines, Tomahawks would require adaptations for land launch, a capability that Kiev does not yet fully possess, recalls CNN.
Still, sources cited by the North American station believe that Ukrainian engineers could find alternative solutions, as they have already done with the British Storm Shadow missiles.
Zelensky has insisted that strengthening long-range strike capabilities is essential. In a recent message on the X network (formerly Twitter), the Ukrainian president stated that he hopes to secure new long-range weapons “before the end of the year”, to “end the war on fair terms” for Ukraine.