Trump may discuss the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine at a meeting with Zelensky

The possible delivery of American Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev has become a new escalation factor in the conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin is urging to wait for the results of the upcoming meeting of the leaders of the United States and Ukraine, and parliamentarians and military experts note that the supplies will not change the situation at the front, but will seriously affect global security. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Characteristics of Tomahawk missiles

The United States is armed with Tomahawk missiles of the Block IV (Tactical Tomahawk) versions and the gradually introduced Block V. The flight range is up to 1,600 km in the standard configuration, while in new versions it is possible to increase it by optimizing fuel and weight of the warhead. The rocket reaches a speed of about 880 km/ h, remaining subsonic, which allows it to fly at ultra-low altitudes (10-50 m).

In most cases, the warhead is a 450 kg high-explosive fragmentation weapon, although other options are possible, including cassette and concrete-piercing ones. The guidance system combines GPS, inertial navigation, TERCOM (terrain comparison) and DSMAC (optical target recognition), providing accuracy of up to 3-5 m. The latest version of Block V is being developed with a focus on naval warfare and is capable of hitting moving targets, including ships.

At the same time, retired Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk, a former special forces officer, noted that the Iskander tactical missile system is superior to the Tomahawk. It is specified that the length of the Iskander is 7.3 m, the speed of this rocket is more than 900 km / h.

The response of Russian officials

Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for waiting for the results of the meeting between the leaders of the United States and Ukraine before commenting on possible supplies.

"Let's wait and see, listen to the statements, analyze them. So far, this is a newspaper report, but we know that yes, indeed, President [Trump] himself has confirmed that such a meeting with Zelensky will take place in Washington. Let's look at the results," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Also, responding to the words of US President Donald Trump about the possibility of discussing supplies with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said that so far there are no clear agreements on this topic, but "there are all possibilities for a very prompt organization of such a telephone conversation."

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik noted that Ukraine was actively working with European countries to create tension in the conflict with Russia in order to obtain new types of weapons.

"Ukraine is very actively using manipulation together with the Europeans and creating tension by various methods, including provocative strikes against civilian targets," he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Alexei Pushkov noted in his Telegram channel that such supplies would not change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause "triple harm" to the prospects for a settlement, relations between Washington and Moscow, and global security. According to him, Trump is facing a dilemma.: fulfill your threat or abandon this decision.

What do European experts say?

Glenn Diesen, a professor at the University of Southeastern Norway, suggested that one of the conditions for supplies could be the announcement of total mobilization in Ukraine. In his opinion, the United States is trying to attract the younger part of the Ukrainian population to combat operations in this way.

The former commander of the International Security Forces in Kosovo, Italian General Fabio Mini, said that the Tomahawk supplies could worsen the conflict. He noted that the Ukrainian military does not have suitable launch platforms, and specifying targets from the United States would be regarded as direct participation in hostilities.

British analyst Alexander Mercuris said that assistant to the President of the United States Steve Witkoff opposes provocations against Russia. According to him, Witkoff believes that the supply of powerful weapons will only increase tensions and provoke a harsh response from Moscow.

The day before, Trump confirmed his readiness to meet with Zelensky at the White House on Friday, October 17. However, the American leader did not provide any details about the upcoming conversation. Zelensky also received an official invitation to visit Washington. The issue of the transfer of American Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine may be resolved at this meeting.