Donald Trump has floated the sale of US-made Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, a move that could bolster Kyiv’s long-range strike capability against Russian targets and potentially alter the course of the war.
The US president is expected to discuss potential deliveries and how Ukraine would use the weapon with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House on Friday.
“The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon,” Trump said on Monday. “And honestly, Russia does not need that.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin, – who has held firm in his maximalist demands and so far rejected Trump’s diplomatic overtures on ending the war – said that arming Kyiv with a missile that could reach Moscow would mark a “new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the US”.
Here is what to know about the weapon and what it would mean for Ukraine to obtain it.
What are Tomahawks and how many can Kyiv get?
First developed in the 1970s, Tomahawks are subsonic cruise missiles with a 450kg warhead used primarily by the US Navy to attack high-value and heavily defended targets on land. Manufactured by RTX, Tomahawks cost about $1.7 million (€1.46 million) each.
With a range of up to 2,500km, Tomahawks can r
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