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US President Donald Trump has emerged as a major supporter of Ukraine offering both political support and strategic involvement in the ongoing war with Russia. According to an Axios report on Friday Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky sought Tomahawk missiles from U.S. President Donald Trump this week in order to compel Vladimir Putin to negotiate peace as cited by Reuters. The Ukrainian request occurred during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly according to the report which cited a Ukrainian official and another official conversant with the discussions. In a separate interview with Axios taped on Wednesday Zelensky confirmed that he did request long-range weapons. Tomahawk missiles are regarded as some of the most powerful weapons in modern warfare. Each missiles payload weighs almost 450 kilograms and can be fired under any conditions - weather or geography. While Western countries have provided Ukraine with some high-tech weapons Tomahawk missiles would be far more powerful. If Zelenskys forces receive these missiles the weapons would possibly tip the battlefield balance against Russia. Thus far Russia has conducted long-range strikes against Ukraines energy infrastructure. In other words even if Ukraine has some weapons to retaliate they are less sophisticated than a Tomahawk missile. Signing such weapons over to Ukraine would allow Ukraine to strike back at the same range and possibly change the entire conflict. The most important point is that the Trump administration has cut a deal with European governments to share the cost of supplying U.S. weapons. That means that it’s a decision not just Washington’s alone--NATO’s collective support would play a significant role in the approval of this request. If Ukraine receives Tomahawk missiles it would be the first time Russia would feel that Moscow the Kremlin and its primary military sites were facing a direct risk. The pressure placed upon Russia could also help convince Putin to negotiate. That said this step would also increase the risk of a nuclear confrontation. The United States and Europe are already struggling with this conundrum: if Ukraine is given weapons with this range Russia could point to escalation as justification to threaten the use of nuclear options.
