Pentagon “gives green light” to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine: final decision up to Trump
The Pentagon has given a positive assessment of the possibility of supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but the final decision on the transfer must be made by US President Donald Trump. The decision has provoked mixed reactions among European allies and raised a number of operational questions about the use of the missiles in wartime.
This is reported by CNN .
Citing three American and European officials, the journalists reported that the Pentagon’s assessment was provided to the White House by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early October. The assessment came just before Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met in Washington.
During the meeting, Donald Trump expressed doubts about the arms transfer, stating that “we don’t want to give away what we need to defend our country.” At the same time, he also said that the US has “a lot of Tomahawks” that could potentially be provided to Ukraine.
The sources said the Pentagon’s assessment reassured some European allies, who now see fewer reasons not to provide the missiles. At the same time, Donald Trump’s decision has fluctuated sharply, initially showing reluctance to transfer the missiles, and later confirming that a final choice has not yet been made.
According to journalists, part of the decision-making process was a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. According to the interlocutors, Putin warned that the Tomahawks could hit major Russian cities and that this “would not have a significant impact on the course of hostilities, but would harm relations between the United States and Russia.”
The Pentagon sees no problems with the availability of missile stocks , but officials remain unresolved operational issues. Journalists reported that the question of how Ukraine will launch the Tomahawks is being discussed, since the missiles are usually launched from ships or submarines, and Ukraine’s Navy is considered exhausted.
As one option, the U.S. Marine Corps and Army have reportedly developed ground-based launchers that could be provided to Ukraine. However, the sources added that even if the launchers are not provided, European officials believe that Ukraine “could find a way” to organize a launch.
The journalists also noted that the administration was preparing plans for the rapid delivery of missiles in the event of an order from the president. However, the final decision depends on Donald Trump and further domestic political consultations in the US.
Earlier, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo expressed the opinion that US President Donald Trump should allow Ukraine to use American long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles in the fight against Russia.
As a reminder, American leader Donald Trump, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that his priority was to end the war and said not to count on Tomahawk missiles .
The day before, it was reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is already negotiating with European partners who can help by providing long-range weapons .
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