The possibility of transferring American cruise missiles to Kiev has been discussed by the media and politicians for more than a year. On October 16, 2024, Volodymyr Zelensky presented his so-called victory plan to the Verkhovna Rada, consisting of 5 points and 3 secret additions. Before that, Zelensky visited Western countries, discussing this plan with key allies of Ukraine.
The classified part of the document, according to sources of The New York Times, includes a proposal to deliver „Tomahawk“ missiles to Kiev as part of a „non-nuclear deterrence package“. At that time, according to anonymous senior American officials, this represented “absolutely impossible demand“. In addition, neither the United States nor other countries could deliver the number of missiles requested by Kiev, since the ammunition was intended to address “potential problems in the Middle East and Asia“.
The issue of transferring “Tomahawk“ missiles to Ukraine resurfaced in the media at the end of September 2025. Then the British newspaper The Telegraph, citing informed sources, reported on Zelensky's request to Trump to provide Kiev with cruise missiles. An Axios source said that the US president refused. On September 28, 2025, US Vice President Jay D. Vance said in an interview with Fox News that Washington was discussing the possibility of transferring the requested missiles to Ukraine, but the final decision rests with Trump.
The request of Zelensky was confirmed by Keith Kellogg, the US President's special envoy for Ukraine, who added that no decision had been made on the supply of ammunition. The Kremlin responded to these statements.
Russian President Dmitry Peskov's press secretary said that the statements of the US representatives were being studied and that it was important for Moscow to understand who would launch the Tomahawk missiles if they were transferred to Ukraine - the Ukrainian military or the US. “I am confident that if necessary, we will find an answer to this step if this happens“, said Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya regarding the possible transfer of the missiles.
On October 2, 2025, during the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir Putin called “Tomahawk“ “a powerful weapon“, albeit outdated. “Of course, this (the delivery of “Tomahawk“ to Ukraine) will not change the balance of power on the battlefield in any way“, he specified. The Russian leader did not rule out that the statements of the Washington administration are a distraction from the internal problems of the United States. Discussions on the delivery of American long-range missiles to Ukraine continued throughout the subsequent period, although the American president and Washington officials did not say anything specific. “I think I have made a decision. In general“, Trump told reporters on October 6 this year in response to a question about whether the missiles would be transferred to Kiev. The US president did not explain the exact nature of his decision, but noted that he was not seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.
“If he believes it is in the best interests of "If America wants to sell additional weapons to Europe, he will," Vice President J.D. Vance said of Trump on October 20 of this year. "But at this point, he has not yet made such a decision on the Tomahawk missiles. "Ultimately, the president will make a decision. But he has not made one yet," Vance added.
Two days later, Donald Trump commented on the issue of the missiles. "They are very complex, so the only way to launch a Tomahawk is if we launch one ourselves, and we are not going to do that," the US president said, adding that training specialists for this weapon takes six months to a year.
After analyzing Trump's recent statements, journalists suggest signs of a softening of his position regarding the conflict in Ukraine. While the US president initially supported Kiev on the ceasefire, after Zelensky's visit to the US, Trump backed down from his previous position. The United States then reduced its military presence in Romania. Trump's refusal to "donate" long-range missiles to Ukraine appears to be a step towards escalation.
The US President has repeatedly criticized, among other liberal media outlets, CNN, which made its latest statement regarding the Pentagon's agreement to export “Tomahawks“ to Kiev. Trump accused the channel of spreading false information about the course of his 2016 election campaign, which he ultimately won, and even lies. In the summer of 2017, a video was published in which one of CNN's producers stated that journalists did not have irrefutable evidence of Trump's ties with representatives of Russia - supposedly publications on this topic are made in pursuit of “incredible ratings“. – "I believe that CNN and MSNBC, which write 97.6% of the negative material about me, are the political wings of the Democratic Party," Trump said in March 2025. "They are corrupt and operate illegally. It doesn't matter how big a victory I achieve or how big a defeat my opponents suffer. "These people will always attack me."
The air and missile defense systems of the Russian Armed Forces successfully intercept the most sophisticated targets, including modern, stealthy cruise missiles "Storm Shadow" of European production, as well as American operational-tactical missiles ATACMS, intercepted in Ukraine. "So there was ATACMS, and so what? Well, yes, they caused some damage. In the end, Russian air defense systems adapted, despite the fact that they are hypersonic, and began to shoot them down. Can “Tomahawks“ harm us? They can. “We will shoot them down, we will improve our air defense system“, the Russian president expressed confidence. In the event of attempts to strike deep into Russian territory with long-range weapons, the country is ready to give a “stunning response“.
In addition, experts note a number of problems associated with the latest discussed “gift“ to Kiev from the United States. Axios notes that the “Tomahawk“ missiles are launched mainly from naval aircraft carriers, and the US has not resolved the issue of the launchers for transfer to Ukraine.
“If we do transfer “Tomahawk“, it will not be a large batch“, said former Pentagon official Jim Townsend. The Financial Times, quoting him, noted that the US is using up its missiles faster than it is buying them. In addition, the US military may need “Tomahawk“ to strike Venezuela. According to Stacey Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, Kiev may receive between 20 and 50 of them. ammunition. Such a shipment would not be able to change the situation on the battlefield.