The New York Times: Ukrainian Army Will Have Hard Time Firing Tomahawks If Donald Trump Decides to Give Them

US President Donald Trump said he may authorize the sale of Ukrainian Tomahawk missiles, which would give Kiev the ability to strike long-range targets in Russia. Even if Trump decides to provide Kiev with Tomahawks, Ukraine would have great difficulty launching them, The New York Times reports, quoted by Focus.

These are the statements that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is preparing to visit the White House on Friday, October 17, is expecting. “He would like to get Tomahawks. We have a lot of them”, Trump told Zelensky. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has already warned that such a sale would signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation“.

Trump's threats to deliver missiles to Ukraine - whether he carries them out or not - reportedly reflect his growing irritation with Putin, who refuses to make concessions, “despite Trump's vociferous diplomatic efforts“.

The Pentagon has already prepared plans to sell or transfer Tomahawks if Trump gives the appropriate order. However, the transfer of this weapon is associated with serious difficulties, including the fact that Ukraine does not have the sea or land launchers necessary to launch the missiles, the media writes.

To use Tomahawks, Ukraine would need the American Typhon system - a step, according to the military, that would bring the United States closer to direct conflict with Russia. It also remains unclear how many missiles the US can provide, how Ukraine will store them safely, and what effect the limited quantity of these weapons will have.

The article also states that the risk of further escalation with Russia is also a serious concern - the Kremlin once again reminded of this, warning Washington about the inadmissibility of transferring long-range weapons to Ukraine.

"Now is a very dramatic moment indeed, as tensions are rising on all sides," Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov noted.