WP sources: Trump considers sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has considered sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine – they are not yet on the list of supplies but may be included later.
As reported by The Washington Post, Trump considered sending Tomahawk cruise missiles, the same weapons that were used against Iranian targets last month. If launched from Ukraine, they could hit Moscow and St Petersburg, and this issue was included in the discussion on Friday 11 July.
However, as a source familiar with discussions in the White House said, Tomahawk missiles are not yet included in the list of supplies. They may be delivered later if Trump wants to have even more leverage.
The source said that Trump's determination to pressure Putin was conveyed in a conversation last week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump asked Zelenskyy why he had not struck Moscow. "We can, if you give us the weapons," Zelenskyy replied. Trump said that Ukraine should put more pressure on Putin, targeting not only Moscow but also St Petersburg.
Discussions at the White House also touched on the fact that military aid could also include permission for some new, powerful offensive weapons. The source said that this likely includes permission to use 18 long-range ATACMS missiles, which are currently in Ukraine, with a full range of 300 kilometres.
They will not reach Moscow or St Petersburg, but they can strike military bases, airfields and supply depots deep inside Russia that are currently out of reach. The package may also include a larger number of ATACMS missiles.
Pentagon officials have been calling for deeper strikes against Russia using ATACMS for several months. Every time the range limit was increased, the Russians simply moved their aircraft and other equipment beyond the reach of the Ukrainians.
Trump decided to escalate for three reasons, according to a source familiar with the discussions within the administration. First, he believed that Putin did not respect him, imitating a willingness to make peace but ignoring the US president's call for a ceasefire. Second, he saw the effectiveness of the US military force in the use of B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles against Iran. And third, he believed that Putin would only agree to negotiations under the threat of greater force. As the Russians like to say, Trump decided to "escalate to de-escalate".
On Monday 14 July, Trump announced an agreement between the US and NATO under which European allies will pay for American weapons supplies to Ukraine.
Trump also announced the delivery of additional Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine.
"We're going to have some come very soon – within days, actually. A couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over, and we'll replace the Patriots with the ones they have," Trump said.
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19 of July 2025
