US believes Tomahawks won’t help Ukraine – FT
US officials believe that supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range missiles would not significantly shift the battlefield in Kiev’s favor, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing sources.
US Vice President J.D. Vance announced that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request for Tomahawks, which have a range of 2,500km and cost an estimated $1.3 million each, and could potentially reach Moscow and far beyond.
FT sources familiar with the matter confirmed that US President Donald Trump is considering the idea. However, a US official told the paper that some people inside Trump’s inner circle believe Tomahawks are unlikely to change the battlefield situation.
“I don’t think a limited number of Tomahawks or sporadic deep strikes into Russia will change [President Vladimir] Putin’s mind,” an FT source said.
Separately, Washington is preparing to provide Ukraine with enhanced intelligence to guide long-range missile and drone strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, a move described by the FT as an “escalation” of US support intended to help Kiev map Russian air defenses and plan strike routes.
Ukraine has long conducted strikes deep into Russia targeting energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and residential areas, sometimes with civilian casualties. Russia has retaliated by attacking military-related infrastructure, insisting that it never targets civilians.
On Thursday, Putin warned that supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks would represent a major escalation, notably because it is “impossible” for Kiev to use the missiles “without the direct participation of American military personnel.”
He further cautioned that the move would be detrimental to Russia-US relations, which he said have shown potential for improvement in recent months.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on reports of US plans to enhance data gathering support for Kiev, noting that Washington already “transmits intelligence to Ukraine on a regular basis online.”
“The supply and use of the entire infrastructure of NATO and the US to collect and transfer intelligence to Ukrainians is obvious,” he said.
