Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been asking the United States since September to sell Tomahawk missiles to European nations that would send them to Ukraine, in an effort to push back against Russian invaders. Could Tomahawks reshape Russia's war in Ukraine's favor?

Kyiv

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

Ukrainian forces believe that the introduction of U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles could significantly impact the ongoing conflict with Russia. These precision-guided missiles are capable of striking targets up to 1,000 miles away, including heavily defended or hardened sites, and could allow Ukraine to reach critical Russian military infrastructure currently out of range.

However, experts caution that Tomahawks are unlikely to be supplied in large enough numbers to fundamentally alter the war's trajectory. Russian President Vladimir Putin has downplayed the threat, stating that Russian air defenses would adapt, but also warned that their deployment would mark a new stage of escalation in U.S.-Russia relations. The situation is further complicated by ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, with both sides adapting their strategies as the conflict continues.

Could U.S. Tomahawks reshape the Russia-Ukraine war?

Ukrainian troops say U.S.-made Tomahawks could fundamentally change the course of the Russian invasion in their favor. Moscow has warned against giving Ukraine the long-range missiles, but also shrugged off the threat. So, could Tomahawks really reshape Russia's war in Ukraine? Matthew Saville, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, explains what they are. So, a Tomahawk is a cruise missile that has been developed by the U.S. over several decades. They're most commonly seen being fired from ships or submarines, but there are ones you can fire from launchers on the land. Tomahawks are precision-guided and can strike targets from 1,000 miles away, even in heavily defended airspace. Saville says they don't have a huge warhead, but are powerful nonetheless and can attack hardened targets. And critically, they are very accurate. So, they have a variety of different guidance systems that mean that they can be fired at something and hit a specific part of a target within a meter or two, basically. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 2 if Ukraine were to deploy Tomahawk missiles, Russia's troops would just be shooting them down and improving our air defense systems. Saville pointed out that Russia's military has managed to adapt to previous weapons challenges from Ukraine, but Tomahawks would enable Ukraine to hit critical targets deep inside Russian territory, such as military bases and logistics hubs currently beyond reach. Tomahawk is not a wonder weapon. It's unlikely to be supplied in the kind of quantities that would radically transform the war. But it will present a challenge that Russian air defenses will need to take into account. And, indeed, that will be whilst we imagine the Ukrainians will be increasing their strikes using their own drones and cruise missiles. So, it broadens the threat. Putin also warned at the same forum that, should Ukraine get Tomahawk missiles, it would mark a completely new stage of escalation, including in U.S.-Russia relations. He has previously warned that Russia reserves the right to strike at military installations in countries that let Ukraine use their missiles to hit Russia. However, Saville said Ukrainians would argue that the use of such missiles is in response to increased Russian air assaults. We are now seeing hundreds of drones, the Geran-2, which is in itself really a cruise missile now, copied from the Iranian Shaheds. We have seen continued strikes by Russian ballistic and cruise missiles against Ukrainian military and civilian targets. Ukrainian officials also say Russia has upped its attacks on electricity and gas facilities over the past two months, leading some to predict a particularly hard winter as the war approaches its fourth anniversary. Moscow denies targeting civilians.

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Could U.S. Tomahawks reshape the Russia-Ukraine war?

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