Tomahawks for Ukraine: US reconsiders approach to war

After several months of fruitless diplomatic contacts with the Russian Federation, Ukraine is betting not on talks, but on real actions – expanding military assistance from the United States.

As The New York Times reports , Kyiv is considering a new phase in relations with Washington — a focus not on concessions for the sake of compromise, but on strengthening its own defense potential to achieve superiority on the battlefield.

Ukrainian representatives have participated in a series of diplomatic meetings with the United States and Russia in recent months, mostly at the initiative of the American side. The main driver of the negotiations was then-President Donald Trump, who sought to achieve a “peaceful resolution” of the conflict. However, as the NYT points out, Kyiv did not have high hopes for these dialogues from the very beginning.

Now, as Washington’s patience with the Kremlin’s unwillingness to compromise is running out, the Ukrainian side sees a new window of opportunity: less negotiations — more concrete support in the form of weapons.

A high-level Ukrainian delegation is beginning a visit to Washington this week, where it plans to negotiate the supply of new weapons systems — in particular, long-range missiles, air defense, and drones.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with Donald Trump in person on Friday at the White House. One of the key issues is the potential transfer of American Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. According to the NYT, Zelensky is actively promoting the idea of using these missiles to strike deep Russian rear areas.

The article notes that Trump, who previously demonstrated goodwill towards Vladimir Putin, has recently significantly changed his rhetoric. In particular, he stated that, in the absence of progress in peace talks, he is ready to transfer Tomahawks to Ukraine to “make Russia think.”

“I can say: if the war is not stopped, we will give them Tomahawks,” Trump said, hinting at a new strategy to pressure the Kremlin.

Despite Kyiv’s interest, military experts are not too optimistic about the effectiveness of using these missiles in Ukrainian conditions. The problem is the lack of launch platforms: Tomahawks are usually launched from ships or submarines, which Ukraine does not have. In addition, the United States has limited land-based launchers.

However, the very fact of discussing the supply of such weapons indicates a change in the Trump administration’s approach – it now views the war in Ukraine not as an object for a quick compromise, but as a conflict where one of the sides must be clearly strengthened.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine has handed over to the US a list of weapons it wants to purchase at the expense of the European fund – the total amount of the order could reach $90 billion. It includes not only missiles, but also air defense systems, missile defense systems, as well as technologies for the joint production of drones and UAVs in Ukraine.

The possibility of exporting Ukrainian drones to the US is also being discussed – these are the first examples of large-scale defense cooperation at the business and joint production level.

Political analysts point out that the change in approach in Washington is a direct reaction to the escalation on the part of the Russian Federation. The Kremlin’s refusal to make any compromises, as well as the increase in massive attacks, are forcing the US to move from calls for negotiations to real assistance.

“What previously seemed like a divergence of approaches now looks like a single line of action,” said Serhiy Solodky, director of the New Europe Center.

As reported, US President Donald Trump is approaching a decision that could significantly change the balance of power in the war: the possible transfer of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine . This is not only a step in support of Kyiv – it is also aimed at putting political pressure on the US’s European partners, in particular Germany, which is still hesitant to provide its own long-range Taurus missiles.

Recall that the transfer of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which is currently being considered in Washington, is unlikely to have a significant impact on the course of the war . Even if the decision is approved, we are talking about only 20-50 weapons, which is a rather limited resource.

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