Pentagon backs Tomahawk transfer to Ukraine, final decision rests with Trump

The Pentagon has given the White House approval to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles after concluding that such a move would not undermine U.S. stockpiles, according to U.S. and European officials cited by CNN. The final political decision now lies with President Donald Trump.

During a recent working lunch at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said he would prefer not to send the missiles, stating, “We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.”

The Joint Staff reportedly informed the White House of its positive assessment earlier this month, just before the Trump–Zelenskyy meeting. Zelenskyy has been pressing Washington to supply Tomahawks — with a range of roughly 1,000 miles — to strike deep into Russian territory, including energy and oil facilities.

European allies welcomed the Pentagon’s assessment, viewing it as a sign that Washington no longer has logistical reasons to withhold the missiles. Trump himself had suggested days earlier that the U.S. had “a lot of Tomahawks” that could potentially be transferred to Ukraine.

However, officials were caught off guard when Trump reversed course during his public remarks alongside Zelenskyy, saying the U.S. “needs” the missiles. He reportedly told the Ukrainian leader privately that Washington would not provide them “at least not yet.”

The reversal came a day after Trump’s phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned that Tomahawks could reach major Russian cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg — escalating tensions without changing the battlefield dynamics.

While the Pentagon has no immediate stockpile concerns, U.S. defense officials remain uncertain about how Ukraine would operate the missiles, given its limited naval capacity. Tomahawks are typically launched from ships or submarines, but Ukraine may need to rely on ground-based systems. The U.S. Marine Corps and Army possess land-based launchers that could be transferred if Trump authorises the deal.

European officials argue that Ukraine could engineer its own adaptations, as it previously did with British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, modifying them to fit older Soviet-era aircraft.

Although Trump has not ruled out the option entirely, his administration has prepared plans for a rapid transfer should he change his mind. His frustration with Moscow’s reluctance to engage in peace talks has reportedly grown in recent weeks — prompting new U.S. sanctions on Russian oil firms and the temporary cancellation of a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest.

In a post on X earlier this week, President Zelenskyy reiterated his goal to strengthen Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities by year’s end, saying: “Global sanctions and our pinpoint precision are practically syncing up to end this war on terms fair for Ukraine. All deep-strike goals must be fully locked in by year’s end.”

By Vugar Khalilov