Ukraine Aims for Escalation: US Missile Supply Sparks Tensions with Russia

A senior official in Kiev has revealed that Ukraine could gradually deploy US Tomahawk missiles to strike deep into Russian territory, aiming to intensify pressure on Moscow for a peace agreement, according to reports.
The United States initially indicated last month its consideration of supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. These weapons, priced at approximately $1.3 million each with a range of 2,500km (1,550 miles), could target locations within Russia, including Moscow. President Donald Trump mentioned he had “sort of made a decision” on the matter but emphasized avoiding escalation.
Egor Cherniev, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s national security, defense, and intelligence committee, outlined a phased approach for potential missile use. He suggested that initial deliveries might involve limited quantities, with restrictions on targeting. “First they will give us rockets, but a few pieces, or a couple of dozen, but they will not allow us to shoot them at once,” Cherniev stated.
If Russia remains inactive, he argued, Ukraine could expand its strikes to the Russian border. Eventually, he claimed, all restrictions might be lifted except for attacks on the Kremlin or directly targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin. “This whole epic could take at least a few months. But it’s already real pressure,” Cherniev asserted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine would “lead to the destruction of [Russia-US] relations” and criticized the idea of American military involvement in operating the system. He also noted that previous shipments of long-range ATACMS missiles had been neutralized by Russia’s air defense systems.