The Kremlin continues its efforts to dissuade the United States from selling Ukraine Tomahawk cruise missiles. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Russian publication Kommersant, published on October 15 under the title "Europe wants to turn the conflict in Ukraine into Trump's war", that such a deal would constitute an "extremely serious escalation", News.bg reports.
According to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Lavrov stressed that such a move would cause "enormous damage" to the process of normalizing relations between Moscow and Moscow. and Washington, achieved after the administration of former President Joe Biden.
ISW notes that the possible provision of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would be a mirror response to Russia's practice of using its own long-range cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets. Since 2022, Russia has regularly deployed various types of long-range weapons - including the Kalibr, Kinzhal and Iskander.
In November 2024, Moscow carried out an unprecedented strike with medium-range ballistic missiles using the Oreshnik system, equipped with multiple independently targetable warheads (MIRV).
The US Tomahawk missiles could enable Ukrainian forces to strike key Russian military targets deep inside Russia - including the Shahed drones in Elabuga, Tatarstan, and the Engels-2 airbase in Saratov region, from where Moscow's strategic bombers are launched.
The administration of President Donald Trump continues to express support for Ukraine ahead of his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, scheduled for October 17. On October 15, Trump confirmed that he had discussed with the Ukrainian leader the possibility of the United States selling Tomahawk missiles to Kiev.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commented the same day that Washington would take "necessary steps" if Russia did not agree to peace talks soon. He called on allies to increase military assistance to Ukraine, stressing that "a capable Ukrainian military and a strong, European-led NATO are key to deterring Russian aggression." aggression“.
According to Hegseth, the US is ready to “do its part“ to strengthen European security.
The Kremlin, for its part, continues its attempts to undermine NATO unity and support for Ukraine. Lavrov said that Europe is trying to turn the conflict in Ukraine into “Trump's war“ and that Zelensky and European leaders are trying to divert the US president from “the right path“.
Meanwhile, the Dutch military reported the observation of unidentified drones near a NATO exercise in Poland - the latest such incident in Europe. According to information from NOS on October 14, the Dutch Ministry of Defense confirmed that participants in the exercise had detected drones and interference in communication systems.
It is still unclear whether the drones or countermeasures against them caused the disruptions. The identities of the operators remain unknown. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied Russian involvement and said Denmark had not made an official inquiry into the case.
According to ISW, such incidents may be part of Russia's "Phase Zero" strategy, aimed at preparing for a possible future war with NATO.
Ukraine's European partners announced new military aid packages during the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the "Rammstein" format on October 15. Hegseth stressed that the United States expects NATO member states to continue providing resources through the PURL (Priority Ukrainian Needs List) initiative.
Finland has officially joined PURL, and Lithuania has pledged $30 million to the program. The Netherlands has also announced that it will provide €90 million for the production of reconnaissance and strike drones in Ukraine.
At the same time, Britain is increasing pressure on the Russian economy. On October 15, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that London had imposed sanctions on the state company “Rosneft“, the private “Lukoil“ and 44 tankers from the so-called “shadow fleet“ of Russia, which circumvents international restrictions.
According to British authorities, the revenues from oil sales of these companies continue to finance Russian military actions in Ukraine.