U.S. Vice President JD Vance says the White House is weighing Ukraine's request for U.S. Tomahawk missiles amid escalating Russian airstrikes. Image: RFE/RL.
(The Post News)– The White House is weighing whether to approve Ukraine’s request for long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday, in a move that would dramatically boost Western support for Kyiv’s defense against Russian troops.
Seen on Fox News Sunday, Vance said President Donald Trump would make the “final determination” on granting or not granting the request. “We’re certainly considering a number of requests from the Europeans,” he said. “One of the things … that I think has really paid off with the president’s policy in Ukraine and Russia is that it’s caused the Europeans to step up in a big way.”
Axios said on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally asked Trump for the Tomahawk missiles when they met at last week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The American-made Tomahawk missile has a range of approximately 1,500 miles (2,500 kilometers), placing Moscow and other major Russian cities within Ukraine’s reach. Ukrainian officials indicate that by having access to long-range strike weapons, they would be able to significantly weaken Russia’s defense industrial base and compel the Kremlin to the bargaining table.
Burden Sharing with Europe
Since August, the Trump administration has demanded that European NATO allies cover U.S. arms for Ukraine. Vance emphasized that the sale of the proposed Tomahawk would comply with that agreement.
“What we’re doing is asking the Europeans to buy that weaponry,” he said. “That gets them really invested in not only what’s happening in their own backyard but also in the peace process that the president has been pushing for for the last eight months.”
A number of NATO nations and Canada have already pledged $2 billion of U.S. arms purchases to Ukraine under the proposal. Kyiv, however, has complained that delivery was slower than before.
The suggestion met with a stinging response from Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Washington was “directly interfering” in the conflict.
Moscow has been paying attention to Washington’s statements concerning possible Tomahawk deliveries to Ukraine and is studying them with caution,” Peskov said. “It is important to us to learn who will be controlling and launching the Tomahawk missiles from the Ukrainian territory, the Americans or the Ukrainians themselves.”
He added that “be it Tomahawks or other missiles, they won’t be able to change the situation on the front.”
Even as Vance was cautioning, U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg signalled Trump had already signalled he was comfortable with more intense attacks. “There are no sanctuaries in war, and Ukraine ought to be able to conduct deep attacks on Russia,” Kellogg told Fox News. “The answer is yes: utilize the capacity to strike deep.”
The opposing tones indicate a policy shift in Washington. Trump, who at one time doubted Ukraine’s chances, recently claimed that Kyiv might “take all of Ukraine back in its original form” with the backing of NATO.
The uproar comes on the heels of one of Russia’s largest air strikes this year. Ukraine’s Air Force reported more than 600 drones and nearly 50 missiles were launched in a 12-hour attack early Sunday. Four were killed, and at least 70 were wounded.
Deputy Defence Minister Ivan Havryliuk has stated that Russia is increasingly using advanced drones that are able to bypass Ukraine’s jamming technology. “Investment in the strengthening of our air defense is an investment in the security of the whole of Europe,” he stated, referencing recent breaches of Polish airspace by Russian drones.
Ukraine also requested at least 10 additional Patriot missile defense batteries made in the United States to ward off ballistic threats. Kyiv thus far has received only limited supplies under Trump’s earlier promises.
Russia’s Conscription Drive
Meanwhile, on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree mobilizing 135,000 men for seasonal fall military service, the country’s largest seasonal draft since 2016. Technically, conscripts are not set to be deployed to Ukraine, but unofficial sources say most of them are pressured into signing Defence Ministry contracts setting them up for front-line service.
The 160,000 called up in the spring have been joined by more. This year is Russia’s largest draft cycle since the war started. The move is Moscow’s effort to keep troops in reserve for a war now in its fourth year.
As Ukraine is currently negotiating air defense missiles and long-range strike missiles, Trump’s insistence on the Tomahawk request has the ability to recast the course of the war. Granting the request would demonstrate more American resolve and further entangle NATO, whereas denying it could infuriate Kyiv as it receives one of the most intense bombardments since 2022.
For the moment, the world holds its breath as Washington weighs its options, with the fate of Ukraine, European security, and the power balance with Russia at stake.
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