With a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles), 1,945 Russian military assets and the city of Moscow would have been in the range of the weapon<\/a>, dramatically expanding Ukraine\u2019s retaliation to the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n Trump had previously hinted he would provide the weapons to Nato who could then supply to them Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cI might say: \u2018Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I\u2019m going to send them Tomahawks,\u201d the US President told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to Israel<\/a> earlier this week.<\/p>\n But after the White House meeting on Saturday, Trump appeared to have cooled on the idea, saying he hoped to end the war without Tomahawks. So what changed Trump\u2019s mind?<\/p>\n Risk of nuclear war <\/p>\n Russia has made it clear that the Tomahawk supply would escalate the war and may even trigger nuclear war.<\/p>\n Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned that it was impossible to distinguish between Tomahawk missiles carrying nuclear warheads and conventional ones after they are launched, and hinted that Russia\u2019s response to a Tomahawk attack may be nuclear.<\/p>\n Medvedev, who is also deputy director of Russia\u2019s security council, added: \u201cHow should Russia respond? Exactly!\u201d<\/p>\n Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week that \u201cthe topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern\u201d<\/a>, describing any sale as a \u201cvery dramatic moment\u201d with \u201ctensions escalating from all sides\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cJust imagine: a long-range missile is launched and is flying and we know that it could be nuclear,\u201d Peskov said. \u201cWhat should the Russian Federation think? Just how should Russia react? Military experts overseas should understand this.\u201d<\/p>\n It is hard to know how serious a threat this is, as Russia has made several warnings of nuclear war<\/a> already.<\/p>\n But Zelensky appeared to recognise this escalation risk as the primary reason for the failure to agree a deal, telling reporters that he and Trump had talked about long-range missiles but decided not to make statements on the issue \u201cbecause the United States does not want an escalation\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked if he was more optimistic after the meeting that Ukraine would get the Tomahawks, he said: \u201cI am realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n Bringing the US into the war<\/p>\n Following threats from Russia, Trump may also have felt that the supply of Tomahawks would mark too much US involvement in the war.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_270122974.jpg\")
Tomahawk missiles have a range of 1,500 miles <\/p>\n
![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_270434987.jpg\")
Putin said earlier this month that it is not possible to use Tomahawks without the direct participation of US military personnel, leading to a \u2018qualitatively new stage of escalation\u2019 (Photo: Kevin Lamarque\/Reuters)<\/p>\n