U.S. President Donald Trump has said there is no plan to give Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Speaking with reporters as he returned to Washington from Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said there is no plan to give missiles to Ukraine.
“I’m not thinking of giving them now. But that decision could change in the future depending on circumstances,” Trump said.
He told reporters that giving Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could further escalate the war with Russia. For that reason, there is no immediate decision to supply the missiles, Reuters reported, citing Trump.
On October 22, Tomahawk missiles were discussed during a White House meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Rutte said last Friday that the matter is still under study and that the final decision would be made by the United States.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had visited the White House to discuss Tomahawk missiles but left empty-handed. In the third week of October, during a delegation-level meeting at the White House with Trump, Zelensky urged Trump not to delay providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Zelensky said Tomahawk missiles were essential to stop Russian aggression. In response, Trump said he could not provide the missiles immediately.
If missiles were given to Ukraine, Russia might view that as provocation and the consequences could be bad, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Trump.
Before meeting Zelensky, Trump had a long telephone conversation with Putin. After that call, Trump withdrew from selling the missiles.
How powerful are Tomahawk missiles?
According to the U.S. newspaper The New York Times, because of their long range, high accuracy, and ability to fly close to the surface, the Tomahawk remains one of America’s most reliable weapons.
The Tomahawk cruise missile was used for the first time during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Since then it has been used in various U.S. military operations from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan and Yemen. The Tomahawk began development in the 1970s; it is an older system but still technologically advanced.
This missile can strike targets up to about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away. Its speed is around 550 miles per hour, roughly 70 percent of the speed of sound.
Because the missile flies only about 30 meters above the surface, it is hard for radar to detect.
For these reasons it is extremely stealthy and lethal during an attack. CNN wrote that because Russia’s capital Moscow and the major city Saint Petersburg are each within 500 miles of Ukraine, Ukraine could, in theory, use Tomahawks to strike deep into Russia and cause significant damage.
Tomahawks are typically launched from ships or submarines. Initially, a booster motor that uses solid fuel lifts the missile to about 1,500 feet. A small jet engine then propels it like an airplane. Once the target coordinates are set, the missile navigates to the target using onboard maps and GPS signals.
The New York Times writes that in newer variants, the missile can even be retargeted during flight.
The U.S. military has now developed a system called “Typhoon” that can launch such missiles from land. The Tomahawk was first tested from this kind of launcher in 2024. It is estimated that Ukraine could also operate Tomahawks through this system.
Tomahawks typically carry a warhead with about 400 pounds of TNT-equivalent explosive. This can destroy large buildings, military centers, or command posts. Some versions carry small submunitions (cluster munitions), which can damage a wide area. Another variant reportedly can disperse carbon fiber into electrical grids to temporarily cut power, The New York Times wrote.
According to the U.S. defense budget, the cost of a Tomahawk missile ranges from $800,000 to $2 million. Because the missiles are so expensive, they are not used for every strike; their use is usually reserved for strategic or high-value targets.
The United States is estimated to have thousands of Tomahawk missiles, but production is low and stocks are decreasing. For that reason U.S. leaders find it difficult to decide to give such weapons to Ukraine. Moreover, how Russia would respond if Ukraine received such weapons is a diplomatically sensitive question.
