Trump ponders Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine in potential new escalation

US president Donald Trump may supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine in a move which could tip the world closer to nuclear escalation. Trump will meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on 17 October to discuss potential new weapons transfers.

Reuters reported on 13 October:

Zelensky has been lobbying Washington to supply U.S.-produced Tomahawk missiles, which have the capacity to hit Moscow, but which Ukrainians say would be used only on military targets.

However, Russian officials have said “such a move would represent a serious escalation”.

Trump is reportedly “considering sending Tomahawks” to Ukraine but “might talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about it”.

Trump: “I might tell him”

Trump said on Sunday 12 October:

Yeah, I might tell him (Putin), if the war is not settled, we may very well do it.

We may not, but we may do it… Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev fired back on Monday:

One can only hope that this is another empty threat… Like sending nuclear submarines closer to Russia.

Extreme range

The extreme range of Tomahawks concerns Russia:

Putin has said supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks – which have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles) and could therefore strike anywhere within European Russia, including Moscow – would destroy relations between the United States and Russia.

Zelensky insists that they would only be used against military targets.

The war has dragged on since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Trump is keen to see it brought to an end. Among the main beneficiaries of wars in Ukraine and Middle East are global arms firms.

According to 2024 figures from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) “revenues from the top 100 arms companies totaled $632 billion last year in response to surging demand related to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza”.

Peace president?

At his speech at the Israeli Knesset Monday, Trump said following the ceasefire in Gaza he would focus on a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia:

It would be great if we could make a peace deal with (Iran). First, we have to get Russia done. Let’s focus on Russia first.

On 13 October, Zelensky tweeted that the Middle East deal gave him hope for an end to war with Russia:

When peace is achieved for one part of the world, it brings more hope for peace in other regions where life is still under threat. In Ukraine, we welcome all the efforts that have led to today’s outcome for the Middle East. The hostages have been freed, and the war in Gaza is…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 13, 2025

And with the ego-driven Trump determined to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he might well see ending the war in Ukraine as his route to get it.

Featured image via the Canary