President Donald Trump said he is considering providing Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia in their three-year-old war, a move the Kremlin has warned would increase tensions with the West.
Trump said he had a good conversation on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who asked for additional weapons.
“They need Patriots very badly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “They’d like to have Tomahawks. That’s a step up.”
The latest threat reflects another way Trump is losing patience with Russia over settling the war, with the deaths of 5,000 to 7,000 troops every week. Trump has warned that additional sanctions against Russia are possible and that Ukraine could retake the territory it has lost.
Vice President JD Vance has said Russia should “wake up and accept reality” with serious negotiations.
Supplying Tomahawk missiles, which can travel 1,500 miles, could enable Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russian territory, including military bases, logistics hubs, airfields, and command centers. But Russia has said that if the United States provides Tomahawks to Ukraine, it would trigger a new round of dangerous escalation between Russia and the West.
Trump said he would first call Russian President Vladimir Putin to warn him that if the war didn’t end, he might provide the cruise missiles to NATO, which would pass them along to Ukraine. Trump called Tomahawks “a new step of aggression.”
“I might have to speak to Russia, to be honest with you, about Tomahawks,” Trump said. “Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.”
Trump said the threat of Tomahawks would impress upon Putin that he wanted the war to end.
“I might say, ‘Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I might send them Tomahawks,” Trump added. “I may say that. We may not, but we may do it.”
Zelenskyy said on Oct. 12 that he saw Russia’s concerns as reason to press forward.
“We see and hear that Russia is afraid that the Americans may give us Tomahawks — that this kind of pressure may work for peace,” Zelenskyy said.
