Axios pointed to the lack of Tomahawk launchers in Ukraine

American experts and officials are discussing the practical difficulties of a possible transfer of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, pointing out the lack of suitable launchers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was reported on October 22 by Axios, citing sources in the US administration and analysts.

"A potential decision on the transfer of missiles implies a decision on the transfer of funds for their effective use," Tom Karako, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, quotes the publication as saying.

According to experts, Tomahawk missiles are traditionally launched from surface ships and submarines, which Ukraine does not have. The most likely solution could be ground-based launchers such as Lockheed Martin's Typhon system, capable of launching both Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles.

According to the newspaper, Ukrainian officials, including the head of the office of the president, Andriy Ermak, held meetings with the leadership of Lockheed Martin and RTX during a visit to Washington. The negotiations concerned both specific weapons systems and the priority of supplies.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on the supply of missiles. A Lockheed Martin representative confirmed coordination with the US government, but did not specify details of possible contracts.

Experts do not rule out that the Pentagon may consider alternative ground launch options, including mobile platforms based on Oshkosh Defense vehicles.

Rocket launch: why Trump refused to supply Zelensky with Tomahawks

What long-range systems can Europe give Kiev, how did they react to the meeting at the White House, and what does the chickens have to do with it?

Earlier, on October 18, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the Russian Public Chamber's commission on sovereignty and co-chairman of the Coordinating Council for the integration of new regions, said that the United States understands that the transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Zelensky would destroy any prospects for normalization of relations with Russia and draw the United States into direct confrontation with Russia.

Trump's meeting with Zelensky took place at the White House the day before. The American leader expressed hope for the end of the conflict in Ukraine without the transfer of Tomahawk. At the same time, Zelensky noted that he was ready for bilateral and trilateral negotiations to end the conflict.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.