Trump threatens to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine

Donald Trump has threatened to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine which could reach Moscow if Vladimir Putin does not end the war soon.

The weapons could be a game changer for Ukraine, allowing precision attacks at Russian military and energy assets far from the frontline.

Speaking on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said: 'I might say, 'Look: if this war is not going to get settled, I'm going to send them Tomahawks'. The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon. And honestly, Russia does not need that.

'I might tell them that if the war is not settled - that we may very well. We may not, but we may do it. I think it's appropriate to bring up.' 

The threat prompted a strong backlash from the Kremlin, who warned against the 'dramatic' escalation.  

'The topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern,' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. 

'Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides.' 

'Just imagine: a long-range missile is launched and is flying and we know that it could be nuclear. What should the Russian Federation think? Just how should Russia react? Military experts overseas should understand this,' Peskov added.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said the US supplying the missiles to 'could end badly for everyone, and first of all – for Trump himself'.

Medvedev, who has repeatedly goaded Trump on social media, added: 'It has been said a hundred times in a way even understandable to the star-spangled uncle that it is impossible to distinguish nuclear Tomahawks from conventional ones in flight.

'How should Russia respond? Exactly!' Medvedev said on Telegram, appearing to hint that Moscow's response would be nuclear. 

'One can only hope that this is another empty threat... Like sending nuclear submarines closer to Russia,' he said, alluding to Trump's statement in August that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to move closer to Russia.

Trump earlier warned Medvedev - a 'failed former president of Russia' - to 'watch his words' after a previous warning that the US was risking all-out war with Russia.

'He is treading on very dangerous ground,' said Trump.

Earlier this month Putin said the supply of Tomahawks would trigger a 'qualitatively new stage of escalation'.

Ukraine's foreign ministry has said that Washington and Kyiv are engaged in 'a very detailed and active discussion about the possibility of providing these missiles'. 

The jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile costing up to £3 million each have been requested by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

They have a range of 1,500 miles and could hit targets around both Moscow and St Petersburg.

'Currently, the Ukrainian and American teams are working to coordinate all these details, discussing all the nuances regarding in what forms and configurations the missiles can be provided to Ukraine,' foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said.

Putin has labelled a Tomahawk deployment as 'monstrous' and said such a move would destroy his relationship with Trump.

But Trump has expressed anger that Putin is continuing the killing and refuses to strike a peace deal.   

He said he mentioned the possibility of sending Tomahawks during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

'Do they want to have Tomahawks going in that direction? I don't think so,' Mr Trump said of Russia.

'I think I might speak to Russia about that. Tomahawks are a new step of aggression.'

'I really think Putin would look great if he got this settled,' he said and that 'It's not going to be good for him' if not.

His suggestions followed a Russian attack on Ukraine's power grid overnight, part of an ongoing campaign to cripple Ukrainian energy infrastructure before winter.    

Mr Zelensky described his latest call with Mr Trump as 'very productive', and said the pair had discussed strengthening Ukraine's 'air defence, resilience, and long-range capabilities', along with 'details related to the energy sector'.

In an interview with Fox News Channel's The Sunday Briefing after his call with the US president, Mr Zelensky was asked whether Mr Trump had approved the Tomahawks and said, 'we work on it'.

'I'm waiting for president to yes,' Mr Zelensky said. 'Of course we count on such decisions, but we will see. We will see.'

The Ukrainian president said on Friday that he was in talks with US officials about the possible provision of various long-range precision strike weapons, including Tomahawks and more ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine would only use Tomahawk missiles for military purposes and not attack civilians in Russia, should the U.S. provide them. 

Trump in recent weeks has taken a notably tougher tact with Mr Putin, after the Russian leader has declined to engage in direct talks with Mr Zelensky about easing fighting.

Last month, Mr Trump announced that he now believes Ukraine could win back all the territory lost to Russia - a dramatic shift from his repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end Russia's war in Ukraine.