Currently, Ukraine is consistently attacking the capital of Russia with drones, causing minimal damage, but still having a psychological effect on the Russian population. Tomahawk missiles would allow Kiev to inflict much heavier blows on Russia.
Rumors about powerful missiles intended for Ukraine surfaced last week when it was revealed that American President Donald Trump is considering supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev.
Just a day later, things progressed further with reports that Trump asked Volodymyr Zelensky if Ukraine could attack key cities in Russia if provided with American long-range weapons.
While not denying the discussion took place, the White House swiftly moved to quash speculation, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that Trump "merely asks a question, not encourages new crimes."
However, the news came amid a significant shift in relations between Kiev and Washington and the announcement of a NATO-supported armament scheme, in which alliance members would purchase US-manufactured weapon systems for Ukraine, as noted by Kyiv Independent.
"(Tomahawk) would certainly represent a significant improvement for Ukraine's arsenal, especially in terms of long-range attack capabilities. This would allow Ukraine to deliver a much heavier payload against targets compared to what it currently uses," said Federico Borsari, a researcher at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), for the Ukrainian publication.
Why Tomahawk Missiles Are Important
Tomahawk is a subsonic cruise missile with a long range designed for precision strikes against ground targets.
These missiles were first used in combat during Operation "Desert Storm" in 1991 and remain an essential component of the US long-range arsenal. Each missile costs around two million dollars and is manufactured by Raytheon.
Tomahawk can fly at low altitudes and perform evasive maneuvers to minimize the risk of interception. The latest version of the missile can also be reprogrammed during flight and can even loiter over a target before striking it.
"It is a very fast cruise missile, albeit still subsonic. It uses a combination of different guidance systems to be very precise," said Borsari, adding that it can hit a target at "about 30 meters, if not less."
"Tomahawk also carries a very powerful warhead, weighing between 400 and 450 kilograms, depending on the configuration," he added.
Why Ukraine Wants Tomahawk Missiles
Tomahawk missiles have long been on Ukraine's list of desired weapons and were included in the "Victory Plan" that Zelensky presented to former President Joe Biden in October 2024.
Russia has a significant advantage over Ukraine when it comes to missiles and regularly uses its own cruise missile systems, such as Kalibr, to attack Ukrainian cities, as well as ballistic systems like Iskander.
Regarding cruise missiles, Ukraine currently relies on Western-supplied weapons like Storm Shadow, which have been used successfully but have a range of only about 250 kilometers.
For long-range attacks, Ukraine currently relies on drones and drone-like missiles, such as Palyanitsa.
"Drones cause damage - they can fly into the back windows of Russian defense factories. But let's be honest, 50 kilograms of explosives are just 50 kilograms — 500 kilograms in a missile can make a difference," said Ivan Stupak, former SBU officer and Ukrainian former parliamentarian as cited by the publication.
Where Ukraine Could Strike with Tomahawk
The range of the Tomahawk missile would open up vast areas of Russia for Ukrainian attacks, especially Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Currently, Ukraine regularly attacks the Russian capital with drones, and while these rarely cause damage, they have a psychological effect on the Russian population, causing widespread disruptions, especially through airport closures.
The Tomahawks would allow much more precise and powerful strikes on Moscow.
Among the first targets Ukraine could aim for are the airbases from which Russia launches massive missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. Ukraine has long sought to hit them, as Moscow has kept its air fleet away from weapons developed by Kiev, as well as those supplied by Western countries.
This changed with Operation Spiderweb, which relied on the bold use of first-person view (FPV) drones, deployed deep inside Russia to target and destroy a significant number of Russian aircraft. However, the operation was planned for a year and a half and seems, at least for now, to have been a one-off.
Tomahawk missiles could regularly target the Olenia airbase in the Murmansk region, one of the main launch pads for Russian mass missile attacks against Ukraine.
Other Options
However, there is a major issue - Tomahawk missiles are "not easy to use," as stated by Vadim Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (GUR), to The Guardian. "The main launch platforms are warships or strategic bombers. We have no strategic bombers," he said.
Borsari also mentioned that Ukraine currently lacks the naval infrastructure necessary for Tomahawk launches from the sea, and deploying a ground-launched version would also be logistically challenging.
These constraints make the prospect of Tomahawk missile deliveries to Ukraine very limited, according to Borsari.
Instead, other systems could be more feasible for Ukraine in the short term.
And there is another option on the horizon — Germany will supply Ukraine with new long-range missiles "very soon, very soon," announced German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on July 17, without specifying exactly which weapons he was referring to.
T.D.