Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if the United States supplied Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for long-range strikes deep into Russia, then it would lead to the destruction of Moscow's relationship with Washington.
Less than two months since US President Donald Trump met Putin at a summit in Alaska, peace looks even further away with Russian forces advancing in Ukraine, Russian drones allegedly flying in NATO airspace and now Washington talking about direct participation in striking deep into the world's biggest nuclear power, reported Reuters.
Trump has said he is disappointed with Putin for not making peace and has cast Russia as a “paper tiger” for failing to subdue Ukraine. Putin last week hit back, questioning if NATO was not the “paper tiger” for failing to stop Russia's advance.
US Vice President JD Vance said last month that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request to obtain long-range Tomahawks that could strike deep into Russia, including Moscow, though it is unclear if a final decision has been made.
“This will lead to the destruction of our relations, or at least the positive trends that have emerged in these relations,” Putin said in a video released on Sunday by Russian state television reporter Pavel Zarubin.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the United States will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets in Russia, as it weighs whether to send Kyiv missiles that could be used in such strikes. Two officials confirmed the Journal report to Reuters.
But one US official and three other sources told Reuters that the Trump Administration's desire to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine may not be viable because current inventories are committed to the US Navy and other uses.
Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 kilometers, which means that if Ukraine got the them, then the Kremlin and all of European Russia would be within target.
Putin on Thursday said that it was impossible to use Tomahawks without the direct participation of US military personnel and so any supply of such missiles to Ukraine would trigger a “qualitatively new stage of escalation.”
He added that Tomahawks could harm Russia, but that it would simply shoot them down and improve its own air defense.
Western European leaders and Ukraine cast the war as an imperial-style land grab and have repeatedly vowed to defeat Russian forces. They argue that unless Russia is defeated, Putin will risk an attack on a NATO member, a claim Putin has repeatedly denied.
