Ukraine has prepared a “wishlist” of targets to strike if Donald Trump follows through with his threat against Russia to provide Ukraine’s embattled forces with long-range Tomahawk missiles, an expert has said.
Author and Russia expert Keir Giles also said that despite warnings of escalation from Russia, they have very little they can do in response if Trump does deliver the deadly weapon systems.
The US President warned Russia on Sunday that he may send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Moscow doesn’t end its war there soon – possibly using that threat to increase the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to compromise.
Mr Giles told Express US: “It’s true that the Tomahawk missiles will allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia and tackle a wider range of targets than compared to their homegrown weapons. The kind of targets Ukraine would like to strike, behind the front lines, are harder, beyond the capability of the improvised systems Ukraine have developed so far.”
He continued: “No doubt Ukraine has a ‘wishlist’ of targets they would like to strike but for very obvious reasons they don’t share these publicly.”
But he warned that any Tomahawks provided have to be part of a wider strategy to develop Ukraine’s own weapon production.
Putin insisted that Tomahawks wouldn’t change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in published remarks Sunday that the issue of Tomahawks is “of extreme concern” to Moscow. He added that it would be a “serious escalation”.
Mr Giles suggested a lot of Russia’s rhetoric is just posturing. He said: “Russia is already doing everything they can do in response to Trump’s warnings,” adding: “Russia is attempting to roll out all of the technique and tactics that have been previously successful in deterring backers of Ukraine from supplying weapons systems that Ukraine actually needs.”
The NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels discussed how they can maintain the momentum of weapons supplies to Ukraine, after European military aid for Kyiv dropped sharply in the summer.
European allies and Canada are buying American weapons to help Kyiv hold back Russia’s forces. In the meantime, Ukrainian Prime Minister Svyrydenko announced that she had a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday.
They were finalizing the US-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund, an agreement that allows American access to Ukraine’s abundant mineral resources.
Svyrydenko mentioned that the fund is “several important decisions away” from becoming operational. She also revealed that the first potential projects in the critical minerals, energy, and infrastructure sectors are starting to take shape.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine persist in their near-daily assaults on each other’s energy assets. Ukraine aims to disrupt Russian fuel supplies and oil revenue, while Russia attempts to disable the Ukrainian power grid before winter sets in.
According to a Wednesday post by the General Staff on Telegram, Ukraine’s armed forces launched an overnight attack on an oil terminal in Feodosia, located in the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula. The terminal serves as a crucial logistical link, providing fuel to Russian forces.
The assault damaged 16 fuel reservoirs that remained intact after Ukrainian forces targeted the terminal last week, causing a fire.
Meanwhile, Naftogaz Group, Ukraine’s largest oil and gas company, reported on Wednesday that Russia had attacked one of its thermal power plants overnight. This is the latest in a series of significant attacks on the company’s natural gas facilities and infrastructure.
Blackouts have been reported in at least two Ukrainian regions.
