Ukraine Tomahawk - Ukraine Reaction
According to the Telegraph, Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested Tomahawk long range weapons during his 23 September 2025 talks with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Axios reports that this was the only point in Kyiv's request that Trump rejected, although he expressed support for others. The US president’s special envoy, Keith Kellogg, who also talked 28 September 2025 to Fox News on Sunday, said that “the decision has not been made” yet while confirming that Zelensky did ask Trump for Tomahawks.
Speaking at a press briefing, Zelenskyy commented on the issue, according to Ukrinform. “What concerns what Ukraine wants from the United States of America, everything is there. We transferred to the president of the United States with details and illustrations what Ukraine wants.” He added “But we are ready for separate agreements, separate types of weapons, including long-range. I cannot say more details. This is a very sensitive issue”.
When asked whether Ukraine would use US weapons for strikes inside Russia, Zelenskyy pointed instead to domestic capabilities. “Today Ukraine responds to all Russian strikes with its own weapons. Precisely with its own long-range capabilities. Ukraine would have used other weapons if it had them. And these would not be strikes but responses,” he said.
In 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hinted that Kyiv had requested Tomahawks. A White House official at the time reportedly called the request “totally unfeasible.” According to The New York Times reported 29 October 2024, Ukraine has requested Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States. These missiles possess a significantly greater range than the operational-tactical ATACMS, allowing for strikes deep into Russian territory.
During a phone call in early July, President Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy, “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? [...] Can you hit St. Petersburg too?” The Ukrainian president is reported to have replied: “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.” On July 15, Trump denied he is aiming to arm Kyiv with long-range missiles, telling reporters: “We’re not looking to do that.”
Axios had reported on 14 July 2025 that President Donald Trump was preparing a “very aggressive” new arms package for Ukraine, potentially including long-range missiles capable of striking Moscow. The plan, discussed with NATO leaders, would see European allies cover the full cost of US-supplied weapons. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will not receive BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States due to a lack of launch platforms, Army Recognition reported. "Tomahawk missiles would significantly increase the range and strike power of the ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles. The problem lies in the methods of use, as Ukraine does not have standard naval launchers for the Tomahawk," the publication states.
There's a high probability that Ukraine will indeed receive American Tomahawk missiles. Military expert and founder of the "Reactive Mail" charity, Pavlo Narozhny, expressed this opinion on Radio NV. "The rhetoric changes dramatically. Usually, when they start talking about something, the decision drags on for several months. But eventually, we'll get it," Narozhny said. The expert added that there are currently numerous technical questions regarding Ukraine's use of Tomahawk missiles, particularly regarding the launchers.
"A new Typhoon system is being developed. It's a huge truck that will carry this cruise missile, and it's used for launches. But for now, Germany is the customer for this system. It's possible these launch platforms will be transferred to Ukraine. If that happens, it could be somewhat of a game-changer. Well, that is to say, it's a fairly serious weapon," Narozhny added.
According to Ivan Tymochko, head of the Council of Reserves of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, if Ukraine receives these missiles and permission to use them within a 3,000-kilometer radius, Russian mid-level logistics, warehouses, arsenals, airfields, field headquarters, etc., will be within the kill zone.
Dmytro Zhmailo, co-founder and executive director of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, noted that the supply of such missiles is possible, but one should not get too carried away about it. "Everything could still roll back very quickly, but this is finally some real response to what Russia is doing. It's acting foolishly. It's not even showing a pretense of flexibility. Trump understands that the front has stalled, because advancing hundreds of meters isn't surprising," Zhmailo said.
The expert noted that Ukraine critically needs Tomahawk missiles to destroy decision-making centers in Russia. He added that during the Kursk operation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed their headquarters and senior generals, and this helped our country. "Why is it being provided now? Because of Russia's position, which makes Washington look like fools, to put it mildly. Putin's pissed everyone off," Zhmailo said.
According to him, Ukraine needs these missiles to destroy Russia's oil refining infrastructure and to carry out precision strikes against decision-making centers, headquarters, and large ammunition depots. "We critically need these missiles to stop this Russian autumn-winter offensive," he emphasized.
"But the Americans also have mobile Tomahawks. They're mounted on a truck-mounted platform and can carry, roughly speaking, a tube with a single missile. This gives us tremendous maneuverability—launching from different points to prevent the Russians from reacting. Airborne launches are also an option, but we don't have aircraft capable of handling this missile. However, ground-based launchers do exist, and they're entirely feasible," Zhmailo emphasized.
According to aviation expert Kostiantyn Krivolap, the transfer of Tomahawks to Ukraine is likely an important political issue in relations with the United States. "Whether they will be handed over to us or not is a rather important question. I regard this more as an important political issue, one that is somehow symbolic of our relations. We need the launchers, which the Germans are trying to restore using American designs. Perhaps they have already restored some. Perhaps Merz (German Chancellor Friedrich Merz - UNIAN) promised to give us some of these launchers. We don't know. The Germans restored American launch platforms. Have they restored them? I have no information," the aviation expert said.
Russia must realize that from today there will be no safe place on their territory, Ukrainian weapons will reach any Russian military facilities. This was stated to journalists on the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, commenting on the words of US Special Representative Keith Kellogg that Donald Trump had authorized Ukraine's long-range strikes against Russia, according to a Ukrinform correspondent. "Ukraine is defending its independence based on the right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. And Russia must clearly understand that today and in the future there will be no safe place for them, and that Ukrainian weapons and the Ukrainian army will reach any military targets on their territory. We have already proven the power of Ukrainian weapons," Sybiha emphasized.
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