Pentagon Approves Transfer of US Tomahawk Missiles to Ukraine, CNN Reports

CNN reported on Friday that a Pentagon assessment has concluded that the US has enough Tomahawk long-range missiles to provide them to Ukraine without impacting its ability to defend itself – leaving the final decision on the matter entirely in the hands of US President Donald Trump.

The American news outlet cites “three US and European officials familiar with the matter” as their source for this information.

On Oct. 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump at the White House for a “bilateral lunch,” which was widely seen as Zelensky’s chance to lobby Trump to approve selling Tomahawks to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president did not arrive in Washington empty-handed. In exchange for Trump’s approval, he offered him a “mega-drone deal” which would have seen the US provided with thousands of Ukrainian drones, honed on the battlefield against Russia over more than three years of war.

Zelensky did not succeed in securing the Tomahawks. Despite having hinted on several occasions that he was considering releasing them, Trump said on the day that “we don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.”

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks,” he added.

The US president also re-affirmed his belief in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sincere desire to achieve peace.

Other Topics of Interest

Zelensky Says Ukraine Seeking US License to Produce Anti-Ballistic Missiles

Ukraine is seeking US approval to manufacture anti-ballistic missile systems and interceptor missiles domestically, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday after meeting Donald Trump at the G7 summit in France. The discussions come as Kyiv looks to strengthen air defenses amid ongoing Russian attacks, with Western partners pledging continued support.

There was one glimmer of hope, however – Trump replied “yes” when asked by a reporter whether the US would potentially be interested in Ukrainian drones.

A couple of weeks on, the US president’s stance – always difficult to assess – seems to have shifted tentatively back in favor of Ukraine.

On Oct. 23, the US slapped Russian gas giants Rosneft and Lukoil with surprise sanctions. Scott Bessent, Trump’s treasury secretary, said that the decision had been made due to “President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war.”

At the same time, Ukraine is focused on destroying the gas and oil infrastructure which funds the Kremlin’s war machine. With a range of more than 1,600 km (1,000 miles), Tomahawks could go a long way towards helping Ukraine achieve that goal.