The US is considering a request by Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles, US Vice-President JD Vance has said. However, Vance added President Donald Trump would be making the final determination on the matter.
Kyiv has long been calling for its Western partners to provide it with weapons that could hit major Russian cities far from the front line, arguing that they would help Ukraine seriously weaken Russia's military industry and bring the war to an end. If the cost of continuing the war for Moscow is too high, it will be forced to start peace talks, deputy defence minister Ivan Havryliuk told the BBC.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down Vance's suggestion, stating there was no panacea that can change the situation on the front for the Kyiv regime. He emphasized that whether it involves Tomahawks or other missiles, they won't shift the dynamic of the conflict.
Tomahawk missiles possess a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), making them capable of striking Moscow. Although Vance remained non-committal about Ukraine's request for these missiles, US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg hinted that Trump had already authorized long-range strikes into Russia under certain conditions.
In recent comments, Trump had surprisingly declared that Kyiv could reclaim all of its territory from Russia, a statement aligning with a recent shift in attitudes from the US administration regarding Ukraine's wartime capabilities.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's deputy defense minister warned of increasing severity and frequency of aerial attacks from Russian forces, following a devastating 12-hour assault that left casualties in Kyiv.
Ukraine is also requesting 10 units of Patriot surface-to-air defense systems and focusing on increasing its own military production to lessen reliance on Western support. This move comes amid escalating drone and missile attacks from Russia, further complicated by the adoption of advanced technology in the Kremlin's military strategy.
Officials believe that bolstering Ukraine's air defense is crucial not only for its own security but also for the safety of Europe as a whole, citing recent incursions by Russian drones into Polish airspace as a worrying sign of potential threats.
