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The Pentagon has given the White House the green light to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, after assessing that this would not affect US strategic reserves.
The final decision, however, rests with former President Donald Trump, according to three U.S. and European officials with knowledge of the matter.
According to information presented by CNN, the Pentagon assessment was presented to the White House earlier this month, shortly before Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington. Zelensky had requested the supply of missiles to more effectively strike oil and energy facilities inside Russia.
The Tomahawks have a range of about 1,600 kilometers, which would allow Ukraine to extend its strike capability deep into Russian territory.
The Pentagon's approval has encouraged the US's European allies, who believe there is no longer any reason to delay. Two European officials said the US assessment "eliminates any excuse" for not sending the missiles. Trump himself had said a few days before his meeting with Zelensky that the US has "a lot of Tomahawks that could potentially be given to Ukraine".
The phone call that changed the course of history
However, to the surprise of officials in Washington and Europe, Trump reversed course a few days later. During a working lunch at the White House with Zelensky, he said the United States “needs” the missiles, while privately making it clear that “at the moment” he would not provide them.
His change of heart came a day after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to CNN, Putin acknowledged that Tomahawk missiles could hit major Russian cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, but noted that they would not have a significant military impact on the ground and would cause “irreparable damage” to U.S.-Russian relations. The White House and the Pentagon did not comment on the information.
While Trump has not completely ruled out the possibility, his administration has already drawn up plans to immediately send the missiles if given the order. At the same time, the US president appears frustrated with Putin's stance on peace negotiations and, in response, recently approved new US sanctions against Russian oil companies, temporarily canceling a planned meeting with the Russian leader in Budapest.
Sufficient stocks, concerns about training and use.
At the same time, while the Pentagon has not expressed concerns about the stockpiles, U.S. officials acknowledge that operational issues remain: how Ukrainian forces will be trained to use the Tomahawks and how the missiles will be launched in practice. Tomahawks are typically launched from ships or submarines, but the Ukrainian navy has suffered serious losses. Therefore, the missiles would need land-based launchers, similar to those developed by the U.S. Marines and Army.
Even without such launchers, European officials believe that Ukraine can find a technical solution. One of them recalled that Ukrainian engineers managed to adapt British Storm Shadow missiles to be launched from old Soviet fighter jets, despite the fact that they were designed exclusively for modern NATO aircraft.
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