- President Trump said he is not currently considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles but left open the possibility of changing his decision.
- The Department of War assessed that transferring Tomahawks would not impact U.S. stockpiles and left the final decision to the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is not currently weighing a deal to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, signaling a cautious approach to further escalation in the ongoing war with Russia.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on November 2, Trump told reporters he was “not really” considering the idea of supplying the advanced weapons to Kyiv but added that his position could still change.
“No, not really,” Trump said when asked if such a transfer was on the table.
According to several informed U.S. and European officials, the Department of War evaluated the potential transfer on October 31 and concluded that providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would not deplete America’s own arsenals. The department, which previously assessed its munitions stockpiles, gave what one official described as a “green light” for potential exports but emphasized that the final political decision rests with the White House.
That internal review followed an October 17 closed-door meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. During that meeting, Trump reportedly said he was not prepared “for now” to authorize Tomahawk deliveries.
Earlier, on October 12, Trump had left the possibility open when asked by reporters whether Kyiv could receive the missiles. “We’ll see… I may,” he said at the time, adding, “I might say, ‘Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I may send [Ukraine] Tomahawks.’ Russia doesn’t need that.”
“Do they [the Russians] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so,” he continued during that same exchange.
Five days later, on October 17, Trump—who has sought to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv—told reporters he hoped the war would end “without thinking about Tomahawks.”
The Tomahawk, a U.S.-made cruise missile capable of striking targets at ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers, is among the most sophisticated weapons in the American arsenal. It can be launched from both ships and submarines and has been used in multiple U.S. military operations, including in Iraq and Syria.
If Ukraine were to obtain such missiles, Russia’s capital would fall within potential striking range—a scenario that has fueled debate among Western policymakers. Moscow has previously warned that any delivery of long-range Western systems to Ukraine would be viewed as a major escalation. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this year that even if the United States were to send Tomahawks, “it would not change the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian front.”
For the Trump administration, the question of supplying Tomahawks goes beyond battlefield calculations. It touches on broader strategic concerns about avoiding direct confrontation with Russia while maintaining U.S. support for Ukraine’s defense. Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in his ability to mediate an end to the conflict, framing himself as the only leader capable of “stopping the war quickly.”
The White House has not confirmed any timeline or criteria for revisiting the missile issue, but aides say the president is focused on diplomatic channels rather than expanding Ukraine’s long-range strike capacity.