WSJ: Trump decides not to give Tomahawk to Ukraine after talking to Putin
26 November 2025 12:47
US President Donald Trump has refused to give Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles after an October phone call with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the publication, on October 16, Putin said in a conversation with Trump that the supply of Tomahawks would inevitably lead to an “escalation of the war” and damage bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow.
It is noted that this conversation took place at a critical moment – just a day before the planned visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House.
Bloomberg reported that U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff, during a telephone conversation on October 14, advised Yuri Ushakov, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s chief foreign policy adviser, to present Russia’s peace proposals to Donald Trump in the best possible way.
These recommendations, which concerned the organization of a conversation between Trump and Putin on the eve of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House, provide “a direct insight into Witkoff’s latest tactics for negotiations with Russia and what appears to be the beginning of a 28-point peace proposal.”
Tomahawk for Ukraine
As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated several times that Ukraine would like to receive long-range Tomahawk missiles.
According to him, the Russians are afraid of how Ukraine will be able to use such missiles in combination with other Ukrainian-made weapons.
Tomahawk deliveries were one of the key topics of discussion at the meeting between Trump and Zelensky, which took place a few weeks ago.
During the meeting, the Ukrainian head of state proposed a deal under which Ukraine could transfer thousands of drones to the United States in exchange for Tomahawk missiles. But the desired result for Ukraine did not happen – Trump still did not agree to transfer the missiles.
How Ukraine can use Tomahawk
Tomahawks are usually launched from ships or submarines, but the Ukrainian fleet is currently weakened.
Therefore, the missiles will probably have to be launched from ground-based installations.
The US Marine Corps and the army already have ground-based launch systems that they can transfer to Kyiv.
If that doesn’t happen, European officials are confident that Ukrainian engineers will find a technical solution — as they did with the British Storm Shadow missiles adapted to Soviet aircraft.
What is the Tomahawk missile?
The Tomahawk is a long-range cruise missile developed by Raytheon for the U.S. Army.
It can hit targets up to 1,000 miles away, flies at low altitudes, evading air defenses, and is highly accurate.
The Tomahawk has been used in operations in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and other conflicts.
