Berlin – Will it be decided today whether Ukraine will receive the US superweapon?
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are meeting for a summit at the White House. The focus is on negotiations over the delivery of the US Tomahawk cruise missile. Zelenskyy is desperate for the weapon, while Trump is hesitant.
This is why the delivery would be so important for Ukraine:
▶︎ The Tomahawk has a range of 2,500 kilometers, is guided by satellites, and can be redirected to new targets during flight.
▶︎ It can be fired from water as well as from ground-based launchers.
▶︎ The engines emit little heat and are therefore difficult to locate. Measures such as car tires or mock refineries to protect against them are useless.
Putin's warmongers in fear
Will Zelensky get the superweapon? Putin's war propagandists are certainly panicking about it! The Russian Telegram group Rybar (1.4 million subscribers) reported that while the Tomahawks could be intercepted, the necessary defense systems are only available in limited quantities.
Trump indicated on October 6 that he wanted to deliver the missiles to Ukraine, but shortly thereafter qualified this statement. The US president emphasized that he wanted to know how Ukraine would use the missiles before making a decision. After a phone call with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, he said that although the US had many Tomahawks, it needed them itself.
Former Pentagon official Mark Cancian estimates the US stockpile at around 4,150 missiles. According to the Financial Times, only 20 to 50 systems could be surrendered. Security expert Stacie Pettyjohn believes such a small number would have little impact on the course of the war.