Tomahawk

Oct. 17 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump began discussing Ukraine‘s defense against Russia Friday afternoon at the White House.

The two presidents are meeting to discuss a possible allocation of long-range Tomahawk missiles and other weapons to help Ukraine in its defense against Russia, according to NBC News.

Trump also is expected to discuss his Thursday phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin while meeting with Zelensky.

The White House visit is Zelensky’s third since Trump became president in January and is the first to discuss the possible deployment of weaponry capable of striking deep inside Russia and targeting that nation’s energy infrastructure, The HIll reported.

Trump and Putin agreed to a tentative summit in Budapest, Hungary, sometime in the near future.

Zelensky said Moscow was “rushing” to resume negotiations after Trump suggested Monday that he was thinking of sending the ball into Russia’s court by threatening to send Ukraine the missiles unless the war was brought to a conclusion.

“We hope that the momentum of curbing terror and war, which worked in the Middle East, will help end the Russian war against Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X.

“Putin is definitely not braver than Hamas or any other terrorist. The language of force and justice will definitely work against Russia as well. We already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue, just hearing about ‘Tomahawks,'” he added.

However, Trump appeared to back away from the Tomahawk issue following a call with Putin on Thursday, saying he had concerns about running down U.S. stocks.

“We need them too … so I don’t know what we can do about that,” Trump said.

The lunchtime Oval Office meeting comes a day after Trump hailed “great progress” made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Delegations from both sides were due to meet next week to prepare for a summit between the two leaders in Hungary.

The contact, the first direct communication with Putin since August, was initiated by Moscow, two days after Trump said he was considering supplying Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles.

The missiles have a 1,500-mile range, which would enable Ukraine to strike Moscow and St. Petersburg.

On Thursday, Zelensky met with representatives of U.S. defense and energy companies, including Raytheon, which makes the Tomahawks, and Lockheed Martin.

He said they discussed ramping up the supply of air defense systems, the Patriot missile system in particular, Raytheon’s production capacity, cooperation to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and long-range capabilities, and the prospects for Ukrainian-American joint production.

Ukraine’s energy resilience was the main topic of discussion with the energy firms in the face of an increasing Russian tactical focus on hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.

“Now, as Russia is betting on terror against our energy sector and carrying out daily strikes, we are working to ensure Ukraine’s resilience,” Zelensky said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have come away empty-handed from a White House meeting after US President Donald Trump indicated he was not ready to supply sought-after Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Zelensky said after the cordial bilateral that he and Trump had talked about long-range missiles, but decided not to make statements on the issue “because the United States does not want an escalation”.

Following the meeting, Trump took to social media to call for Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war.

The Trump-Zelensky meeting came a day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and agreed to meet him in Hungary soon.

Zelensky believes using Tomahawks to strike at Russian oil and energy facilities would severely weaken Putin’s war economy.

While Trump did not rule it out, his tone at the White House on Friday was non-committal.

“Hopefully they won’t need it, hopefully we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks,” the US president said, adding: “I think we’re fairly close to that.”

He described the weapons as “a big deal” and said that the US needed them for its own defence. He also said that supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine could mean a further escalation in the conflict, but that discussions about sending them would continue.

Asked by the BBC if the Tomahawks had prompted Putin to meet Trump, the US president said: “The threat of that [the missiles] is good, but the threat of that is always there.”

The Ukrainian leader suggested his country could offer drones in exchange for the Tomahawks, prompting smiles and nodding from Trump.

Zelensky also complimented Trump on his role in securing the first phase of a peace deal in the Middle East, suggesting the US leader could build on that momentum to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

After the meeting, Zelensky was asked by a reporter outside the White House if he thought Putin wanted a deal or was just buying time with the planned meeting with Trump in Budapest.

“I don’t know,” he said, adding that the prospect of Ukraine having Tomahawks had caused Russia to be “afraid because it is a strong weapon”.

Asked if he was leaving Washington more optimistic that Ukraine would get the Tomahawks, he said: “I am realistic.”

The Ukrainian leader also appeared to suggest he would be amenable to Trump’s suggestion of stopping the war along the current front line.

“We have to stop where we are, he is right, the president is right,” Zelensky said. He added that the step after that would be “to speak”.

He later posted on X, saying that he had called European leaders to share details of the meeting with Trump, adding that the “main priority now is to protect as many lives as possible, guarantee security for Ukraine, and strengthen all of us in Europe.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the call with European leaders was “productive” and promised that “the UK will continue to send humanitarian aid and military support”.

While Trump had shown an openness to the idea of selling the Tomahawks in recent days, Putin warned that such a move would further strain the US-Russian relationship.

On Thursday, Trump said “great progress” was made during a phone call with Putin, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks soon in Hungary – although no date has been set.

Asked by a reporter on Friday if he was concerned Putin might be playing for time by agreeing to a new summit, Trump said: “I am.”

“But I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well. So, it’s possible, a little time, it’s alright. But I think that I’m pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal,” he said.

When asked by another reporter whether Zelensky would be involved in the prospective talks in Budapest, Trump – who was sat beside the Ukrainian president said there was “bad blood” between Putin and Zelenksy.

“We want to make it comfortable for everybody,” Trump said. “We’ll be involved in threes, but it may be separated.” He added that the three leaders “have to get together”.

The US president said his call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was “very productive”, adding that teams from Washington and Moscow would meet next week.

Trump had hoped a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August would help convince Putin to enter into comprehensive peace talks to end the war, but that meeting failed to produce a decisive breakthrough.

They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.

Back in Ukraine, the BBC spoke on Friday to a couple repairing the small store they own in a suburb of Kyiv, after it was obliterated by Russian missiles last month.

When the store-owner, Volodymyr, was asked about Trump’s forthcoming summit meeting with Putin, he began to say: “We appreciate all support”.

But he stepped away as tears welled up in his eyes. After a long pause, he composed himself and started again.

“Truth and democracy will win, and all the terrorism and evil will disappear,” he said. “We just want to live, we don’t want to give up, we just want them to leave us alone.”

WASHINGTON — President Trump is hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks at the White House on Friday, with the U.S. leader signaling he’s not ready to agree to sell Kyiv a long-range missile system that the Ukrainians say they desperately need.

Zelensky arrived with top aides to discuss the latest developments with Trump over lunch, a day after the U.S. president and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone call to discuss the conflict.

At the start of the talks, Zelensky congratulated Trump over landing last week’s ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and said Trump now has “momentum” to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“President Trump now has a big chance to finish this war,” Zelensky added.

In recent days, Trump had shown an openness to selling Ukraine long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, even as Putin warned that such a move would further strain the U.S.-Russian relationship.

But following Thursday’s call with Putin, Trump appeared to downplay the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about 995 miles.

“We need Tomahawks for the United States of America too,” Trump said. “We have a lot of them, but we need them. I mean we can’t deplete our country.”

Zelensky had been seeking the weapons, which would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russian territory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. Zelensky has argued that the potential for such strikes would help compel Putin to take Trump’s calls for direct negotiations to end the war more seriously.

But Putin warned Trump during the call that supplying Kyiv with the Tomahawks “won’t change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries,” according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that talk of providing Tomahawks had already served a purpose by pushing Putin into talks. “The conclusion is that we need to continue with strong steps. Strength can truly create momentum for peace,” Sybiha said on the social platform X late Thursday.

Ukrainian officials have also indicated that Zelensky plans to appeal to Trump’s economic interests by aiming to discuss the possibility of energy deals with the U.S.

Zelensky is expected to offer to store American liquefied natural gas in Ukraine’s gas storage facilities, which would allow for an American presence in the European energy market.

He previewed the strategy on Thursday in meetings with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the heads of American energy companies, leading him to post on X that it is important to restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after Russian attacks and expand “the presence of American businesses in Ukraine.”

It will be the fourth face-to-face meeting for Trump and Zelensky since the Republican returned to office in January, and their second in less than a month.

Trump announced following Thursday’s call with Putin that he would soon meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss ways to end the war. The two also agreed that their senior aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would meet next week at an unspecified location.

Fresh off brokering a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas, Trump has said finding an endgame to the war in Ukraine is now his top foreign policy priority and has expressed new confidence about the prospects of getting it done.

Ahead of his call with Putin, Trump had shown signs of increased frustration with the Russian leader.

Last month, he announced that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.

Trump, going back to his 2024 campaign, insisted he would quickly end the war, but his peace efforts appeared to stall following a diplomatic blitz in August, when he held a summit with Putin in Alaska and a White House meeting with Zelensky and European allies.

Trump emerged from those meetings certain he was on track to arranging direct talks between Zelensky and Putin. But the Russian leader hasn’t shown any interest in meeting with Zelensky and Moscow has only intensified its bombardment of Ukraine.

Trump, for his part, offered a notably more neutral tone about Ukraine following what he described a “very productive” call with Putin.

He also hinted that negotiations between Putin and Zelensky might be have to be conducted indirectly.

“They don’t get along too well those two,” Trump said. “So we may do something where we’re separate. Separate but equal.”

Madhani writes for the Associated Press.

Oct. 13 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he may supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for its fight against Russia.

Trump, on Air Force One, told reporters that he might issue an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I might say ‘Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks.’ The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon. And honestly, Russia does not need that,” NBC reported he said.

Trump was flying to the Middle East Monday, to Israel and Egypt for talks on the Gaza peace deal.

Supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks would allow the country to hit targets more than 1,000 miles away, striking deeper into Russian territory.

A Russian lawmaker last week said if Ukraine fires Tomahawks, Russia will shoot them down, bomb their sites and retaliate against the United States, The Hill reported.

Ukraine President Volodymir Zelensky said on X that Russia “continues its aerial terror against our cities and communities, intensifying strikes on our energy infrastructure. The immorality of these crimes is such that every day Russians kill our people. Yesterday in Kostiantynivka, a child was killed in a church by an aerial bomb. In total, just this week alone, more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles, and around 1,360 glide bombs have been used against Ukraine.”

Zelensky and Trump spoke on Sunday for 40 minutes, discussing Ukraine’s weapons, supply status and the energy sector ahead of Ukraine’s harsh winter, Axios reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials were on the call.

“We agreed on a set of topics to discuss today, and we covered all the aspects of the situation: defense of life in our country, strengthening our capabilities — in air defense, resilience, and long-range capabilities. We also discussed many details related to the energy sector. President Trump is well informed about everything that is happening,” Zelensky wrote on X.

Trump said he had “sort of made a decision” to sell Tomahawks to NATO countries, which would then be sent to Ukraine, Axios reported.

Putin said on Sunday that sending Tomahawks to Ukraine would be a “completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation,” Axios reported.

Tomahawk missiles are subsonic cruise missiles that can precisely hit targets 1,000 miles away, even in heavily defended airspace, according to manufacturer Raytheon. They can be fired from land or ships and can have conventional or nuclear warheads. They cost an average of $1.3 million each.

The latest version, called the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk or TACTOM, has a data link that allows it to switch targets while in flight. It can loiter for hours and change course instantly on command, Raytheon said.

US President Donald Trump is considering sending Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, saying it would provide “a new step of aggression” in its war with Russia.

When asked on Air Force One if he would send Tomahawks to Ukraine, Trump replied “we’ll see… I may”.

It follows a second phone call at the weekend between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who pushed for stronger military capabilities to launch counter-attacks against Russia.

Moscow has previously warned Washington against providing long-range missiles to Kyiv, saying it would cause a major escalation in the conflict and strain US-Russian relations.

Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles), which would put Moscow within reach for Ukraine.

Trump spoke to reporters as he flew to Israel. He said he would possibly speak to Russia about the Tomahawks requested by Ukraine.

“I might tell them [Russia] that if the war is not settled, that we may very well, we may not, but we may do it.”

“Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so,” the president said.

Kyiv has made multiple requests for long-range missiles, as it weighs up striking Russian cities far from the front lines of the grinding conflict.

In their phone calls Zelensky and Trump discussed Ukraine’s bid to strengthen its military capabilities, including boosting its air defences and long-range arms.

Ukrainian cities including Kyiv have come under repeated heavy Russian bombardment with drones and missiles. Russia has particularly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing power cuts.

Last month, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg suggested the US president had authorised strikes deep into Russian territory, telling Fox News “there are no such things as sanctuaries” from attacks in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, downplayed the chances of Tomahawks changing the course of the war.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last month: “Whether it’s Tomahawks or other missiles, they won’t be able to change the dynamic.”

The first Japanese warship destined to receive a Tomahawk cruise missile capability is now sailing to the United States for the required modifications. The Kongo class destroyer Chokai is at the forefront of Japan’s long-standing ambition to receive the long-range land attack cruise missiles, which it initially plans to field on its Aegis warships, although ground and submarine launch platforms could also follow in the future.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) announced yesterday that the process of reworking Chokai for Tomahawk had begun. On September 26, the warship conducted missile-loading training, involving dummy Tomahawk rounds, supported by U.S. Navy personnel, at Yokosuka Base. The 90 “strike length” Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS) cells on the Kongo class are already long enough to accommodate the Tomahawk.

“The training was conducted to familiarize the ship with the procedures required for Tomahawk operation and to confirm the safety management system,” the Japanese Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The following day, Chokai departed Yokosuka for San Diego, California, where modifications and crew training will be carried out. The process is due to be completed by mid-September of next year. Ahead of that milestone, the first Tomahawks are expected to be handed over to Japan before the end of March next year, and it is planned for the destroyer to conduct live-fire tests around summer 2026. These will verify the ship’s readiness and crew proficiency to carry out operational missions.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense describes the Tomahawk plan as a crash program to supplement its efforts to locally develop new standoff missiles. Once fielded, the Tomahawks will enhance “standoff defense capabilities in order to intercept and eliminate invading forces against Japan at a rapid pace and at long range.” The U.S.-made cruise missiles are planned to be delivered between Japan’s fiscal years 2025 and 2027, which run from April 1 to March 31.

The U.S. Navy began training the JMSDF on the Tomahawk missile launch system in March 2024.

Ultimately, the JMSDF will field the Tomahawk on all eight of its currently fielded Aegis destroyers. These comprise four Kongo class, two Atago class, and two Maya class — the latter are Japan’s latest in-service Aegis-capable destroyers.

The cruise missiles will also be used on the two Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV) destroyers that are under construction. Lockheed Martin announced today that the first example of the advanced AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar system for the ASEV has begun testing at a shore-based facility in Moorestown, New Jersey. You can read more about its capabilities here.

Returning to the Tomahawk, the U.S. State Department approved the $2.35-billion sale to Japan of 400 of these missiles in November 2023, and a corresponding deal was struck in 2024. This will provide Japan with 200 Tomahawk Block IV and 200 Tomahawk Block V All-Up Rounds (AUR) and related equipment.

The deal came after years of talk that Japan would procure Tomahawks to give it a new long-range land-attack cruise missile capability.

The Tomahawk acquisition is a prime example of Japan’s changing military policy, including the fielding of what would previously have been considered ‘offensive’ weaponry.

This has been driven by growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, which have led to Japan increasing its counterstrike capability against potential threats, in particular those from China and North Korea.

The urgency of the situation has seen Japan accelerate its Tomahawk procurement, bringing it forward by one year, after it was originally planned to acquire the missiles in fiscal year 2026. Officials cited the “increasingly severe security environment around Japan” as the reason for this.

Already, the JMSDF’s Kongo class destroyers, like Chokai, are notably well-equipped, although they are primarily air and missile defense platforms. They are outfitted with powerful radar systems and an assortment of surface-to-air missiles, as well as anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons. The addition of Tomahawk missiles will make them much more well-rounded warships, with a very significant offensive capability.

The Block IV Tomahawk can strike targets at a range of almost 1,000 miles, carrying a 1,000-pound unitary warhead. It can be re-routed mid-flight and is also able to loiter over an area to hit ‘pop-up’ targets, using its imaging infrared seeker. Japan is also receiving the Block V Tomahawk, an improved version with survivability upgrades that can also be used to hit moving targets, especially in the long-range anti-shipping role.

Japan is now joining a select group of Tomahawk-operating countries outside the United States.

The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy uses Tomahawk missiles to arm its Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarines. It also plans to provide a Tomahawk capability on its forthcoming Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.

In December last year, Australia became the third country to launch a Tomahawk missile after the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Hobart class destroyer HMAS Brisbane successfully test-fired the weapon for the first time, as you can read about here.

Since then, the Royal Netherlands Navy launched a Tomahawk for the first time, from one of its De Zeven Provinciën class frigates, HNLMS De Ruyter, off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, in March of this year.

While Japan is procuring the Tomahawk as an interim weapon, it will almost certainly continue in service once the country fields its own long-range land-attack cruise missile capability. This is an area in which Japan has been active for some time now, starting with efforts to increase the range of its Type 12 anti-ship missile now in development.

At the same time, Japan is also acquiring air-launched cruise missiles for land-attack missions.

Overall, Japan’s forthcoming introduction of the Tomahawk and its longer-term ambition to field more domestically produced standoff missiles reflect the country’s changing defense posture — including procuring ‘offensive’ weapons that would previously have been off the table. With China flexing its military muscle in the region and North Korea expanding its missile arsenal, Japan’s focus on bolstering its long-range conventional deterrent options will surely continue.

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