That's what it's about

• President Zelensky expects Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US.
• These would allow Ukraine to attack Russian military targets.
• After a phone call between Trump and Putin, a delivery is unlikely, according to expert Hirsiger.
• Hirsiger emphasizes that Putin is catering to Trump's ego and thus making him his plaything.

When US President Donald Trump receives Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, one question will be central: Will Ukraine be granted access to the long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles? Zelensky hopes the answer will be yes – the weapons could enable attacks deep into the Russian hinterland. But Trump hesitates, emphasizing that the US needs the Tomahawks itself and pointing to possible NATO detours. It is also uncertain how much the telephone conversation between Trump and Putin will influence the meeting with Zelensky.

But what consequences would a Tomahawk delivery have for Ukraine, Russia, and Europe? 20 Minutes spoke with Eastern Europe expert Marcel Hirsiger about this.

Mr. Hirsiger, how likely is it that Ukraine will actually receive Tomahawks?

After the phone call between Trump and Putin, this is highly unlikely—at least not in the scope and volume required. We've seen this pattern before: Trump has repeatedly indicated in recent months that he wants to provide greater support to Ukraine. In August, there was talk of tough sanctions, including against countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas. This led to a meeting with Putin in Alaska. Since then, the topic has barely come up again. A similar pattern could occur now with the Tomahawk deliveries.

Would the Tomahawks be immediately ready for use in Ukraine?

If approved, these would be operational relatively quickly, unlike, for example, fighter jets, which require extensive training. A delivery would be militarily very important for Ukraine because it could attack targets in the Russian hinterland. This includes almost 2,000 facilities, including air bases and drone factories. It would also be an important deterrent: The Tomahawks could reach Moscow. While there is no reason why Ukraine should attack the Russian capital, the mere possibility of doing so creates a better balance.

The expert

Marcel Hirsiger is an Eastern European expert and lecturer at the FHNW School of Business in Olten. His teaching and research interests include politics and society in Eastern Central Europe, corporate finance, and strategic management.

Russia threatens escalation – how serious is this?

Russia has been threatening escalation for weeks. Specifically, they've mentioned attacks on NATO countries or retaliatory strikes against Western cities. This follows a familiar propaganda pattern: With all previous plans for additional weapons from Western countries, Kremlin propagandists have almost gone overboard in their hysteria. The primary goal, therefore, is to make the arms deliveries appear too risky, so they won't even be carried out.

How do you interpret Trump's current position toward Putin?

Trump is determined to portray himself as the one who will bring peace to the world. In this mania, he barely notices that he is being thoroughly manipulated by Putin. Putin refers to him as a friend, calls him by his first name in press conferences, and shares his outrage over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. In doing so, he primarily serves Trump's ego and turns him into a willing accomplice.

On the other hand, we have Zelensky, who is once again publicly portraying Putin as cowardly and no braver than Hamas. A clever tactic, given that he relies on Trump?

Zelensky is now completely out of options. His European partners have been demonstratively backing him for months, but then fail to deliver. For example, Merz, during the election campaign, spoke of immediate Taurus deliveries, but then dropped the issue again. Ukrainian territorial concessions for a ceasefire are unconstitutional and therefore not a way to stop the war, even temporarily. There is no indication from Russia that they might be interested in a genuine peace. And with his phone call yesterday, Trump demonstrated once again that he does not consider the Ukrainian president an equal negotiating partner.