WASHINGTON — The United States is reportedly considering Ukraine’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles, US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday, though he emphasized that President Donald Trump would make the “final determination” on the matter, according to BBC News.
Kyiv has long pressed its Western allies for weapons capable of striking deep into Russian territory, arguing that targeting major industrial centers could degrade Moscow’s war-fighting capacity and force negotiations. “If the cost of continuing the war for Moscow is too high, it will be forced to start peace talks,” Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk told the BBC.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, dismissed the potential shift, asserting that “there is no panacea that can change the situation on the front for the Kyiv regime” and that long-range strikes would not alter the conflict’s dynamics. Tomahawk missiles, with a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles), would put Moscow within reach for Ukraine.
The US administration’s evolving posture reflects a notable shift. While Vance remained noncommittal, US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg suggested Trump has already authorized deep-strike capabilities, telling Fox News that Kyiv has permission to hit Russian targets: “There are no such things as sanctuaries.”
The urgency for enhanced Ukrainian capabilities is underscored by Russia’s increasingly sophisticated aerial campaign. On Sunday, a 12-hour barrage of nearly 50 missiles and hundreds of drones left four dead and at least 70 injured in Kyiv. Havryliuk warned that Moscow’s attacks are intensifying, employing new Iranian-made Shahed drones capable of bypassing Ukraine’s electronic warfare defenses.
To counter the growing threat, Ukraine has requested at least 10 Patriot surface-to-air defense systems from its Western partners. Havryliuk stressed that bolstering Ukraine’s air defense would not only protect Kyiv but also serve as a “security investment for all of Europe,” especially following Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace.
As the conflict escalates, the calculus for providing long-range weapons becomes ever more complex, balancing the potential to shift battlefield dynamics with the risks of broadening the war.
