Trump Considers Ukraine Tomahawk Missiles to Pressure Putin/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Following a fragile Gaza ceasefire, Trump pivots focus to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
He’s considering supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles to pressure Moscow. Sanctions, weapons deals, and direct diplomacy shape Trump’s next foreign policy test.
Russia-Ukraine War + Trump’s Next Steps: Quick Looks
- Trump pivots to ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after Gaza truce.
- Weighs providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.
- Prepares for fourth meeting with Zelenskyy in 2025.
- Putin warns Tomahawk delivery would be a red line.
- Congress eyes sanctions targeting nations importing Russian oil.
- India reportedly agrees to stop Russian oil purchases.
- Administration quietly reviews Senate sanctions bill co-sponsored by Graham.
- Treasury urges Europe to take stronger action against Moscow.
Trump Considers Ukraine Tomahawk Missiles to Pressure Putin
Deep Look
WASHINGTON — With a delicate truce now holding between Israel and Hamas, President Donald Trump has turned his foreign policy spotlight back to Eastern Europe — signaling a renewed push to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. Speaking to donors and lawmakers on Wednesday, Trump said his top priority now is resolving the bloody conflict that has gripped Ukraine for nearly four years.
“First we have to get Russia done,” Trump told guests during a White House dinner event. He then directed his special envoy, Steve Witkoff — a key intermediary with Russian President Vladimir Putin — to intensify focus on ending the war diplomatically.
The shift comes just days after Trump addressed the Israeli Knesset, where he praised the tentative ceasefire in Gaza and voiced optimism about future peace and normalization between Israel and neighboring Arab states. Now, however, Trump is redirecting diplomatic energy toward Kyiv and Moscow.
Preparing for Zelenskyy Meeting — and Raising the Stakes
President Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this Friday — their fourth in-person meeting this year. Leading up to that meeting, Trump is weighing a controversial and high-impact move: selling Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
These long-range missiles, capable of reaching nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), would represent a major step-up in Ukraine’s strike capabilities, potentially allowing Kyiv to target deep inside Russian territory.
“He’d like to have Tomahawks,” Trump said. “We have a lot of Tomahawks.”
While Ukrainian leaders see this as a way to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations, Russian officials have called such a move a clear escalation. Putin has warned that providing Tomahawks would cross a “red line” and severely strain U.S.-Russia relations.
Military Analysts Weigh In
Defense expert Mark Montgomery of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said that while the political impact of delivering Tomahawks would be huge, logistical hurdles remain.
“It could take years to train Ukrainian forces and deliver the system,” he said.
Montgomery suggested Ukraine may be better served in the short term by additional shipments of ERAMs (Extended Range Attack Munition) and ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), which have already been approved. These systems have shorter ranges but are more rapidly deployable and highly effective on the battlefield.
“The ERAM can strike key Russian logistics and command centers within a few hundred kilometers — it’s operationally valuable now,” Montgomery noted.
Congressional Pressure for Sanctions Builds
As Trump flirts with expanding Ukraine’s military capabilities, pressure is also mounting in Congress for him to endorse tougher economic sanctions on Russia.
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are sponsoring bipartisan legislation that would impose sweeping tariffs on nations continuing to import Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other key exports — a move aimed at crippling the Kremlin’s war financing.
Although Trump has not formally supported the bill, insiders say the White House is engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions to refine the legislation. Staff have provided line edits and technical feedback, suggesting growing interest in moving the measure forward.
“The president is working with lawmakers to ensure any bill aligns with his foreign policy goals,” a senior White House official confirmed.
Trump Leans on Allies — India Responds
A central theme of Trump’s approach has been leaning on U.S. allies to reduce their reliance on Russian energy — particularly oil. In a key development, Trump announced Wednesday that India, one of Russia’s largest oil customers since the Ukraine invasion, has agreed to halt oil imports from Moscow.
While the details of that agreement remain unclear, Trump praised India’s move as a “significant step” in isolating Russia economically.
“They’ve agreed to stop buying. That’s a big one,” Trump said.
At the same time, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that European nations must step up as well.
“We keep hearing that Putin is coming to Warsaw,” Bessent said. “But he’s not coming to Boston. Europe has more at stake — they need to take the lead on sanctions.”
What’s Next?
As Trump prepares for another high-stakes meeting with Zelenskyy, the world watches to see whether the U.S. will finally lean harder on Moscow — either with economic sanctions, new weapons for Ukraine, or both.
If Tomahawk missiles are approved, the decision could trigger serious escalation in U.S.-Russia tensions. But if the move successfully forces Putin to the negotiating table, it could mark a diplomatic breakthrough in a war that has shown few signs of resolution.
Trump, who campaigned on restoring global stability and ending America’s overseas entanglements, now faces one of the biggest foreign policy tests of his second term — managing two global conflicts without plunging the U.S. into new ones.
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