The Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) fired a Tomahawk cruise missile in support of Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn.
Jonathan Sunderman | U.S. Navy | Corbis | Getty Images
US President Donald Trump on Monday said he was considering sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, calling it “another step of aggression” in the war with Russia.
Asked if he would send Tomahawks to Ukraine as President Trump flew Air Force One to the Middle East on Monday, first to Israel and then to Egypt to negotiate a peace deal in Gaza, Trump replied, “We’ll see…maybe.”
He also hinted that he might use Tomahawk supplies to pressure Russia to end the war, telling reporters: “We might say, ‘Look, if this war doesn’t get resolved, I’m going to send them Tomahawks.'”
“The tomahawk is an incredible weapon, a very offensive weapon, and to be honest, Russia doesn’t need it,” he said, according to comments reported by Sky News.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds an umbrella before boarding Air Force One for Israel, October 12, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
Evelyn HochsteinReuter
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have been discussing a possible provision regarding Tomahawk missiles that would allow Ukraine to launch a strong counterattack against Russia.
But the US president is keeping his cards close to his chest as to whether he will actually send missiles to Ukraine. He said Monday he would call Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the issue. According to Kremlin comments on Monday, no such call has been scheduled yet.
Russia warned that providing long-range cruise missiles to Kiev would be considered a “serious escalation.”
What is a tomahawk?
The Tomahawk is a subsonic cruise missile that can accurately strike targets from 1,000 miles away, even in heavily defended airspace, according to its American manufacturer. raytheon.
The Tomahawk is designed to attack high-value or heavily defended land targets, can be fired from ground-launched devices, but is usually launched from ships or submarines, and can be armed with conventional or nuclear warheads. Missiles are not cheap, with the average cost reported to be $1.3 million per missile.
The crew of the guided missile destroyer USS Preble conducts operations with Tomahawk missiles during a training area off the coast of California.
U.S. Navy photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Woody Pascal.
First developed in the 1970s, it is used by the U.S. military and has been purchased or agreed to be purchased by a number of allied nations, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands.
The latest version, called the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM), has a data link that allows it to switch targets mid-flight. They can wander for hours and instantly change course on command.
Raytheon notes that U.S. and coalition forces have flight-tested the GPS-enabled Tomahawk more than 550 times and used it in operational environments more than 2,350 times. It was most recently used in 2024 when the U.S. and British navies fired Tomahawk missiles at Houthi rebel strongholds in Yemen.
Russia’s reaction
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that Moscow’s leadership was awaiting details of an agreement to supply the Tomahawks, but had been harshly critical of the prospect.
“This is a serious escalation, but it does not change the situation for the Kiev regime on the front lines. But details aside, it is important to understand that we are talking about nuclear-capable missiles. So this is a really serious escalation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov during the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states in Moscow, Russia, October 8, 2024.
Sergei Ilnitsky | via Reuters
On Monday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said a supply of Tomahawks could have dire consequences for everyone, including President Trump. He pointed out that it is impossible to distinguish between a Tomahawk missile carrying a nuclear warhead and a conventional missile after launch.
“How should Russia respond? Yes!” President Medvedev said on Telegram in comments translated by Reuters that appeared to suggest Moscow’s response would be nuclear.
Asked on Monday about Trump’s comments that he would discuss the Tomahawks with Putin, Peskov said: “There was no clear agreement on the phone call.”
Can they be a game changer?
Ukraine and its allies argue that the supply of Tomahawks would greatly enhance the country’s offensive capabilities and pose a significantly greater threat to Russian assets such as military bases, energy infrastructure, and logistics hubs.
As such, the supply of Tomahawks could be another driver that brings Russia to the negotiating table with Ukraine and its Western allies, especially the United States, which Russia hopes to end the war it started in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech Sunday night that Kiev is working closely with the White House to strengthen its defense capabilities, including long-range capabilities.
“We have seen and heard that Russia is concerned about the possibility of the United States providing Tomahawks. This shows that this type of pressure is effective in achieving peace. President Trump and I have agreed that our team and the military will address all of the issues we discussed.”
In this undated file photo, a U.S. warship fires a Tomahawk cruise missile.
US Navy | Getty Images
As President Trump seeks to cement an end to hostilities between Israel and Hamas, his attention may well turn back to Russia, where he has already signaled he is losing patience with Putin.
Additionally, President Trump’s professed desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize (which he missed out on this year) could help spur him to bring peace to Ukraine.
“It could be good news for Europe that Trump doesn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize this time. He wants the prize, but he still has to get it,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said on Monday.
“If President Trump puts enough pressure on President Putin to stop the war against Ukraine, the US president would certainly be a front-runner for next year’s award… Media reports about the possible delivery of US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine suggest that President Trump is getting tough on President Putin. That could be a start,” Schmieding said.
