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The Pentagon has given approval to the White House to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, potentially fulfilling President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desire for more weapons in his country’s war with Russia if President Trump provides the final green light, CNN reported Friday.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for confirmation. The Defense Department’s (DOD) approval is reportedly based on an assessment that providing Tomahawks would not negatively impact U.S. stockpiles.
After the Joint Staff gave the White House another assessment earlier this month informing Trump that European allies determined the U.S. had little reason to not send the missiles, it came as a surprise when the president pushed against giving Zelensky the missiles, two European officials told CNN.
“It’s not easy for us to give … you’re talking about massive numbers of very powerful weapons,” Trump said before meeting with Zelensky at the White House on Oct. 17.
Trump had told Zelensky that he would not provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, at least not yet, CNN reported.
The following week, Zelensky emphasized his discussion with Trump about the missiles as “a major investment in diplomacy — we forced Russia to reveal that Tomahawks are precisely the card they take seriously.”
Zelensky has argued that not being given the Tomahawk missiles deflated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interest in diplomacy with Ukraine.
“The front line can spark diplomacy. Instead, Russia continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy, and as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us — for Ukraine — became less immediate, Russia’s interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically,” Zelensky said during a daily video address earlier this month. “This signals that this very issue — the issue of our deep strike capabilities — may hold the indispensable key to peace.”
The missiles are built to travel at high, subsonic speeds and low heights to better dodge radars, providing Ukraine with a lot more capability and range to target Russian military outposts and energy facilities deep inside the country, military experts previously told The Hill.
Russia has warned the U.S. against sending the missiles to Ukraine, arguing it would represent a major escalation. The Kremlin is currently using self-produced missiles in addition to missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran.
