On October 14, 2025, international headlines buzzed with news that U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, a move widely seen as a dramatic escalation in the ongoing effort to pressure Russia into peace negotiations. The plan, which insiders revealed to The Telegraph and was further reported by Express and The Economic Times, has already sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, with Russia issuing stern warnings and global leaders weighing in on the potential risks and rewards.
President Trump’s decision comes at a pivotal moment. Russia’s economy, according to analysts cited by The Economic Times, is teetering on the edge of a "once in 30 year crisis" in a key sector, largely due to intensified attacks on its energy infrastructure and mounting sanctions. The U.S. has ramped up intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, enabling more effective strikes on Russian assets and contributing to the mounting pressure on Moscow’s war machine.
In recent days, the diplomatic tempo has only increased. On October 13, Trump visited Tel Aviv to celebrate the release of 20 Israeli hostages as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement—a move that brought him international praise and, as The Express reported, bolstered his reputation as a dealmaker. Afterward, he traveled to Egypt for a high-profile summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, where global leaders rallied behind his efforts to resolve not just the Middle East conflict but also the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s next stop is Washington, where he is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on October 17. The agenda is clear: discuss the deployment of Tomahawk missiles and plot a course for Ukraine’s air defense and long-range capabilities. As Zelensky put it, “The main topics will be air defense and our long-range capabilities, to maintain pressure on Russia.” According to Express, Zelensky is prepared to present Trump with a comprehensive list of Russian military targets—missile and drone factories deep inside Russian territory—that could be struck with the new weapons.
The Tomahawk missile, with its formidable range of approximately 1,500 miles, would give Ukraine the ability to reach far-flung Russian strategic assets for the first time. For Kyiv, this could be a game-changer. As The Express noted, Ukraine’s leadership believes that threatening such deep strikes might finally bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table for meaningful ceasefire talks.
Trump’s willingness to consider supplying the missiles marks a sharp break from the policy of his predecessor, Joe Biden, who had previously rejected Ukraine’s requests for Tomahawks. Trump himself has described the move as a “new step of aggression.” On October 12, while en route to Israel, Trump told reporters, “I might say, look, if this war's not going to get settled, I'm going to send them Tomahawks. I might have to speak to Russia, to be honest with you, about Tomahawks. Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so. I might tell him that if the war is not settled, that we may very well do it.”
For Zelensky, the U.S. president’s Middle East success has sparked fresh optimism. After the release of the Israeli hostages, Zelensky posted on social media, “We are working so that the day of peace comes for Ukraine as well. Russian aggression remains the last global source of destabilization, and if a ceasefire and peace have been achieved for the Middle East, the leadership and determination of global actors can certainly work for us, too.”
Behind the scenes, Ukraine’s prime minister and top aide flew to Washington on October 13 to initiate “high-level talks to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, secure our energy resilience, and intensify sanctions pressure on the aggressor.” Their goal: to shore up Ukraine’s position both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. As The Economic Times and The Express both reported, the Ukrainian delegation is counting on the Tomahawk’s reach to devastate Moscow’s war machine by severing supply lines and destroying critical manufacturing facilities.
But the prospect of Tomahawk missiles in Ukrainian hands has not gone unnoticed in Moscow. The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, issued a stark warning on October 12, stating that such a move would "escalate tensions and damage US-Russia relations." He expressed Russia’s “extreme concern,” adding, “Tensions are escalating from all sides.” Peskov also raised the specter of confusion and miscalculation, noting that Moscow wouldn’t be able to determine if the missiles were equipped with nuclear warheads if they were launched at its territory. “Just how should Russia react?” he asked pointedly.
Interestingly, while the Kremlin has publicly voiced its alarm, Putin and his top officials have so far refrained from openly criticizing Trump, perhaps hoping there is still room to dissuade him from following through. This delicate dance underscores just how high the stakes have become—and how unpredictable the next moves might be.
For Trump, the Tomahawk gambit appears to be part of a broader shift toward “peace through strength,” a doctrine he touted during his Middle East tour. Addressing Israel’s parliament, Trump declared, “It would be great if we could make a peace deal with [Iran]... First, we have to get Russia done. Let’s focus on Russia first.” He has also claimed credit for resolving eight international conflicts since taking office in January, though, as The Express pointed out, the Ukraine-Russia war remains stubbornly intractable.
Trump’s patience with Putin, it seems, is wearing thin. After a historic meeting in Alaska and a series of phone calls with Zelensky, the U.S. president has grown increasingly frustrated with the Russian leader’s refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations. The missile plan, then, is both a warning and a bargaining chip—a sign that Washington is prepared to up the ante if Moscow remains intransigent.
As the world watches, the question now is whether the threat of Tomahawk missiles will force a breakthrough or push the conflict into even more dangerous territory. With Ukraine’s delegation in Washington and Trump and Zelensky set to meet at the White House, the coming days could reshape the contours of the war—and perhaps the future of European security itself.
The next chapter in this high-stakes drama will unfold in Washington, where diplomacy, deterrence, and raw political calculation are all on the table. For now, the only certainty is that the world is watching, and the consequences of these decisions will reverberate far beyond the battlefields of Ukraine.
