Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the US to sell its European partners Tomahawk missiles that can be transferred to Kyiv. The missiles, which have a range of around 1,550 miles, would constitute a significant bolstering of Ukraine’s arsenal, putting the Russian capital firmly within range.
US president Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that he had “sort of made a decision” on whether to provide the deadly weaponry to Kyiv via Europe, indicating that he was inclined to do so. However, possessing them and being free to use them at will are likely to be two different things, with Mr Trump indicating that he would like to be informed prior to the missiles being fired. He added: “I think I want to find out what they’re doing with them. I would ask some questions. I’m not looking to escalate that war.”
Simply possessing them could have a significant strategic impact on the battlefield, however, according to one of Ukraine’s top national security figures.
Yehor Cherniev, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s national security, defence and intelligence committee, believes that any authorisation to use them will come gradually and will likely come after their physical delivery.
He wrote: “At each of these stages, Putin is given the opportunity to retreat and go to negotiations. And therefore, the supply and use of missiles will most likely be very gradual.
“First they will give us rockets, but a few pieces, or a couple of dozen, but they will not allow us to shoot them at once and we will see the Kremlin’s reaction.”
A lack of or minimal reaction by Moscow could see Ukraine given more freedom in regards to how they use the weapons, according to Cherniev.
He added: “And finally, only after some time all restrictions will be lifted, except perhaps strikes on the Kremlin and directly on Putin.
“This whole epic could take at least a few months. But it’s already real pressure and a real argument.”
Ukraine has already taken receipt of western build missiles in recent years, with the British-made Storm Shadow and US Eram being delivered initially for defensive use before eventually being authorised to use in an offensive capacity.
But with ranges of 155 and 280 miles respectively, the possession of missiles with five times the range would have a significant impact on Russian defence planning and would provide pause for thought when launching missiles on Ukrainian cities.