US President on Sunday (local time) warned Russia that he may supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if the ongoing war between them 'doesn't settle'. The 79-year-old's remark comes hours after he held a telephonic conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy during which he said the US may supply the long-range missiles to Kyiv.
"I might say, 'Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I'm going to send them Tomahawks," he said, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. "The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon. And honestly, Russia does not need that."
"I might tell them that if the war is not settled -- that we may very well. We may not, but we may do it. I think it's appropriate to bring up," he added, while giving a warning to Russia.
Russia expresses concerns, issues a warning to US
With Trump hinting he may supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, the Kremlin expressed its concerns on Sunday, but also issued a warning to the US. In a statement on Sunday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is also aware about some versions of the Tomahawk missiles can also carry nuclear warheads.
"The topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern," Peskov said, calling Trump's statement a "dramatic moment in escalation from all sides". "Just imagine: a long-range missile is launched and is flying, and we know that it could be nuclear. What should the Russian Federation think? Just how should Russia react? Military experts overseas should understand this."
What is a Tomahawk missile?
Designed by General Dynamics and later Raytheon, Tomahawks are an all-weather long-range subsonic cruise missile that can carry out precise strikes, and can be launched from land and sea. Tomahawks, with a length of 5.6 metres (18.4 feet) and weight of 1,600 kg, are mostly used by the US and are also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Generally, a Tomahawk missile - built for an average cost of USD 1.3 million - rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Inertial Navigation System (INS). It also uses the terrain contour matching (TERCOM) system to hit its targets. Because of these systems, the Tomahawk can hit targets from 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away.
Why Ukraine wants it?
Ukraine has also shown interest in getting the Tomahawk missiles, as it is different from the other missiles it uses and are also capable of carrying nuclear warheads. At present, Ukraine uses missiles such as Flamingo, Neptune, Harpoon, ATACMS and Storm Shadow, though.
