Trump Warns Russia He May Send Ukraine Long-Range Tomahawks

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - In a direct warning to Moscow, United States President Donald Trump on Sunday declared that he may be prepared to send long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not soon agree to a negotiated settlement to end the brutal, nearly three-year-long war.

The U.S. President's comments, made to reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to Israel to celebrate the landmark Gaza peace deal, represent the most significant and explicit threat of a major escalation in U.S. military assistance to Kyiv.

This tougher stance comes amid growing frustration in the White House over Russia's refusal to engage in serious peace talks and signals a potential strategic pivot that could dramatically alter the battlefield dynamics and significantly increase the pressure on the Kremlin.

“I might say, ’Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks,” President Trump told reporters, according to a report from the Associated Press. He described the Tomahawk as an "incredible weapon, very offensive weapon," and pointedly added, "And honestly, Russia does not need that.”

The president, while not making a definitive commitment, made it clear that the option is now firmly on the table. "I might tell them that if the war is not settled -- that we may very well," he said, before adding, "We may not, but we may do it. I think it’s appropriate to bring up.”

This sentiment was also reported by The Wall Street Journal, which noted the president's growing openness to pressuring Putin militarily.

The president's remarks came shortly after he had spoken by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Mr. Trump confirmed, according to the AP, that he had raised the possibility of sending Tomahawks during that conversation. The threat was clearly intended to be heard in Moscow.

“Do they want to have Tomahawks going in that direction? I don’t think so,” Trump said of Russia. “I think I might speak to Russia about that.” He also described the potential delivery of Tomahawks as "a new step of aggression," a phrase that acknowledges the escalatory nature of such a move.

President Trump's warning followed another brutal Russian aerial assault on Ukraine's power grid, as reported by the AP, part of Moscow's ongoing campaign to cripple the country's energy infrastructure ahead of the harsh winter months. The Kremlin, for its part, has already expressed its "extreme concern" over the prospect of the U.S. providing such a powerful and long-range weapon system to Ukraine.

The Associated Press reported that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in remarks published on Sunday, described "the topic of Tomahawks" as a matter "of extreme concern," and President Putin himself has previously suggested that the U.S. supplying long-range missiles would seriously damage relations between Washington and Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been lobbying for such weapons for months, arguing that the ability to strike deeper into Russian territory is essential to force Putin to the negotiating table. In a post on social media following his latest call with President Trump, Zelenskyy described the conversation as “very productive,” stating that they had discussed strengthening Ukraine’s “air defense, resilience, and long-range capabilities,” as well as "details related to the energy sector," according to the AP report.

In a subsequent interview with Fox News Channel's "The Sunday Briefing," when asked directly if President Trump had approved the Tomahawks, Zelenskyy was cautiously optimistic. “We work on it," he said. “I’m waiting for president to yes. Of course we count on such decisions, but we will see. We will see.”

The decision to provide a weapon as sophisticated and accurate as the Tomahawk cruise missile would be a major escalation in U.S. assistance, as noted by The Wall Street Journal.

For months, the Trump administration has blocked Ukraine from using U.S.-provided long-range missiles, such as the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), to strike targets inside Russia, a restriction that has been a source of significant frustration for Kyiv.

President Trump now appears to be reconsidering that policy. Just last month, as reported by the Journal, he had told President Zelenskyy that he was open to lifting the restrictions on Kyiv’s use of American-made weapons, though he did not make any firm commitments at the time. His comments on Sunday suggest a significant shift in his thinking.

This tougher tack with President Putin is a direct result of the Russian leader's continued refusal to engage in direct talks with President Zelenskyy to de-escalate the fighting.

Last month, in a dramatic shift from his previous calls for Kyiv to make concessions, President Trump announced that he now believes Ukraine could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia, according to the AP. Now, his frustration with the lack of diplomatic progress appears to be translating into a greater willingness to apply military pressure.

As he stated aboard Air Force One, "I really think Putin would look great if he got this settled," but warned that “It’s not going to be good for him” if the war continues to drag on.

This escalating standoff on the eastern front comes as NATO allies, particularly those on the front line with Russia, are undertaking a massive military buildup of their own.

As detailed in a comprehensive report by The Wall Street Journal, Poland has spent the last decade preparing for a potential war with Russia, transforming its armed forces into the largest European military in NATO. Warsaw has ramped up its military spending to 4.7% of its GDP this year—the highest in the alliance—and has become one of the biggest buyers of U.S. weapons.

This buildup has been driven by a long-held belief in Warsaw that Russia, under Putin, seeks to resurrect its traditional sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, a warning that was largely ignored by much of the rest of Europe until Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Recent events have only served to validate Poland's concerns. Last month, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, Polish airspace was violated by some 20 Russian drones, an incursion that triggered the first direct confrontation between NATO jet fighters and Russian drones over alliance territory.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the incident as having brought the country "closest to open conflict since World War II."

This growing Russian assertiveness has made Poland a cornerstone of NATO's planning for a potential conflict and a crucial partner for the Baltic states. In recognition of this pivotal role, President Trump has offered Warsaw a level of backing he has extended to few other European allies.

"We are with Poland all the way and we will help Poland protect itself,” he said in a recent meeting with the new Polish President, Karol Nawrocki, according to the Journal. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on a trip to the Polish capital earlier this year, lauded the country as "a model ally."

It is within this context of a newly re-militarized and deeply anxious Eastern Europe that President Trump's threat to send Tomahawks to Ukraine must be understood. It is a calculated move, designed to signal to President Putin that the strategic calculus of the war is about to change, and that the cost of his continued intransigence may be about to rise dramatically.

As a high-level Ukrainian delegation prepares to visit the U.S. this week, as reported by the AP, the world will be watching to see if the president's warning is a bluff, or the prelude to a dangerous new phase in the war.