Russia said on Monday that it would carefully analyse whether any U.S. Tomahawk missiles that might be supplied to Ukraine were fired using targeting data supplied by the United States.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request to obtain Tomahawks, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles) – easily far enough to hit Moscow if fired from Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said that Western countries will make themselves direct parties to the war if they supply targeting and intelligence to enable Ukraine to fire missiles deep inside Russia.
Asked about Vance’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was analysing them carefully.
“The question, as before, is this: who can launch these missiles…? Can only Ukrainians launch them, or do American soldiers have to do that?” he said.
“Who is determining the targeting of these missiles? The American side or the Ukrainians themselves?” Peskov added, saying “a very in-depth analysis” was required.
In any case, he said, Tomahawks would not be a game-changer.
“Even if this happens, there’s no panacea that can change the situation on the front for the Kyiv regime right now. There’s no magic weapon. And whether it’s Tomahawks or other missiles, they won’t be able to change the dynamic,” Peskov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked the United States to sell Tomahawks to European nations that would send them to Ukraine.
Vance said on “Fox News Sunday” that President Donald Trump would make the final call on whether to allow the deal.
Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, said Trump has indicated that Kyiv should now be able to conduct long-range strikes on Russia.
“I think reading what he (Trump) has said, and reading what Vice President Vance has said…the answer is yes. Use the ability to hit deep. There are no such things as sanctuaries,” Kellogg told Fox News later on Sunday.
-reuters
