Russia’s Kremlin warned Washington on Monday that handing cruise missiles to Ukraine would trigger a decisive counter‑reaction.
Moscow Warns Washington
Andriy Kartapolov, head of the State Pride Defence Committee, referred to reports that the United States had decided to transfer Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Kartapolov on Tomahawk Transfer
If Russia were to supply Ukraine with such weapons, Moscow would be within range of Ukrainian artillery, Kartapolov said, noting that Tomahawks have a range of 2,500 km. He added that Russia would respond in a tough, unambiguous, balanced, asymmetric way, seeking ways to hurt those causing trouble. He believes Tomahawks would not change the battle because they can hit at most a dozen or so units. He also said he knows these missiles very well, how they fly and target, having worked on them in Syria, so they will not be new to us. Only those who deliver and use them will have problems.
Deputy Foreign Minister: Qualitative Change
Sergey Rybkov, in an interview with TASS, quoted President Vladimir Putin’s view: the president said it is a very serious step of escalation. He explained that the appearance of such systems, if it occurs, would represent a significant, even qualitative, change in the situation. He also assured that it would not affect our determination to achieve our objectives.
Trump Confirms Decision
President Donald Trump acknowledged on Monday’s Oval Office press conference that he had already decided to transfer Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. He added that he still needs to learn more about how Kiev will use them. “I want to know what they do with them, where they send them,” Trump said. He repeated that “this war should never have started.”