Trump Administration Weighs Ukraine’s Request for Tomahawk Missiles, Vance Says
The Trump administration is actively discussing whether to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed on Sunday.
The Gaze reports this, referring to his interview with Fox News.
Vance said the decision ultimately rests with Trump. “The President will do what best serves the interests of the United States of America. That is the driving force of his decisions in the field of foreign policy and defense policy,” he noted.
The remarks follow reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally asked Trump to supply Tomahawks during a private meeting in New York earlier this month, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
According to sources cited by the Telegraph, Zelenskyy argued that the long-range weapons would increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in serious peace talks.
Speaking after the meeting, Zelenskyy said Trump responded favorably to the request, describing the missiles as a potential deterrent rather than a tool for immediate use.
“We need this, but it doesn’t mean we will use it. If we have it, I believe it will be additional pressure on Putin to sit at the negotiating table,” Zelenskyy explained.
Diplomatic sources also told European counterparts that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio views Trump’s recent shift in tone on Ukraine as highly positive. Rubio reportedly added that the president has grown “very angry” with Putin for disregarding U.S. efforts to end the nearly three-year war.
The Tomahawk cruise missile, depending on the variant, has a range of 1,250 to 2,500 kilometers, though export versions typically extend up to 1,600 kilometers. The precision-guided weapon is considered a critical asset for striking high-value targets deep inside enemy territory.
While Trump has not yet indicated whether he will approve the transfer, NATO allies and Kyiv are closely watching the debate in Washington. In July, media reports suggested that Trump was already weighing the possibility of providing Ukraine with Tomahawks to counter Russia’s entrenched positions.
As The Gaze reported earlier, the Ukrainian delegation is heading to the U.S. on September 30 for talks on the legal aspects of joint arms production, including various types of drones.