Trump seeks reassurances on Ukraine’s use of Tomahawk missiles before delivery

US President Donald J. Trump has announced from the Oval Office that he has made the decision to provide BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAMs) to Ukraine, while stressing that he still has questions about how they will be used and what Russian targets Kyiv plans to strike.

“I sort of made a decision pretty much,” Trump said when asked by reporters in the Oval Office if he had decided to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine. “I think I want to find out what they are doing with them. Where they are sending them, I guess I will have to ask that question. I would ask some questions. I am not looking to see an escalation.”

The Tomahawk, a US-made long-range precision strike weapon, can reach targets between 500 and 2,500 kilometers (310 to 1,550 miles) away. Its addition to Ukraine’s arsenal would, for the first time, put Moscow and much of Russia’s western and central regions within reach of Ukrainian forces.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) estimates that there are at least 1,945 Russian military facilities within range of the 2,500-kilometer Tomahawk and 1,655 within range of the shorter-range variant. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine would mark “a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation,” warning that such a move would destroy Moscow’s relationship with Washington.

Expanding Ukraine’s long-range strike reach

The decision follows months of pressure from Kyiv for longer-range Western weapons to counter Russia’s growing advantage in deep-strike capabilities. Ukrainian forces have been able to hit parts of Russia’s rear with domestically produced long-range drones, but their limited payloads prevent them from destroying hardened or strategic targets.

Ukraine already fields a growing suite of long-range strike options. Kyiv first deployed SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by the UK and France, with reported ranges of roughly 250–550 kilometers, which were used to destroy key targets in occupied territories. Later, the Ukrainian military used US-supplied ATACMS with a similar range for strikes beyond the front line, where Washington permitted.

In recent months, Ukraine has unveiled the domestically produced Flamingo cruise missile, which Kyiv and its developers say can travel more than 3,000 kilometers and carry a 1,150-kilogram warhead. Authorities say serial production is underway, although the system remains unproven and will take time to scale.

NEW | Russian President Vladimir Putin continues attempts to deter the US from sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine by linking improvements in the US-Russian bilateral relationship to concessions from the United States on the war in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/NU9KEykRD6— Critical Threats (@criticalthreats) October 6, 2025

These systems allow Kyiv to threaten strategic-depth targets that smaller attack drones cannot reach. However, the Tomahawk would give Ukraine unprecedented reach, putting much of Russia’s rear within range and changing the scale of targets Kyiv could credibly hold at risk.

Alabuga and the Shahed-Geran-Gerbera production line

One of the most significant potential targets within Russia is the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, located near Yelabuga in Tatarstan. This facility is known for producing Shahed-type loitering munitions, referred to as Geran in Russian service, as well as Gerbera decoy drones that are used to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and even test NATO’s airspace.

The factory has been central to Moscow’s ability to mount mass drone salvos, with nightly strike averages rising from roughly 83 drones in January 2025 to about 187 in September 2025, and in recent weeks, at times exceeding 500 drones per night. Open reporting and satellite imagery indicate that the site has been rapidly expanded, making it a high-value node for any operation aimed at degrading Russia’s sortie rate and production throughput.

Situated more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Ukrainian territory, Alabuga represents precisely the kind of target that long-range cruise missiles could strike effectively. 

Previous incidents demonstrated the difficulty of reaching this target. In April 2024, a Ukrainian strike on the Yelabuga complex used a modified Aeroprakt-22 general aviation aircraft repurposed as a long-range drone. While a dormitory was damaged, the main production buildings were reportedly left untouched. 

Washington’s caveats may shape Kyiv’s reach

Tomahawks combine range, precision, and a large warhead capable of damaging hardened industrial infrastructure. The system would force Moscow to disperse production, harden facilities, or reroute logistics, measures that would reduce the tempo of Russian long-range strikes.

RELATED

US to share intelligence with Ukraine for strikes on Russian infrastructure: WSJ

However, even if Tomahawks are delivered, Kyiv’s freedom to strike deep into Russia could be constrained by political conditions and operational caveats imposed by Washington. Past instances of US intelligence sharing and long-range weapons transfers have included restrictions on where and how Ukraine could use them, especially against targets inside Russia.The post Trump seeks reassurances on Ukraine’s use of Tomahawk missiles before delivery appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source