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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will respond "appropriately" if U.S. President Donald Trump approves sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, a move that would put Moscow in range of Kyiv's forces.
Dmitry Peskov made the brief comment at a regular press briefing on Thursday, state news agency TASS reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from Trump, who is considering it as his diplomatic efforts to broker peace in the war bear little fruit.
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Pressure on Russia
Zelensky and Ukraine's allies want the U.S. to crank the pressure on Russia to make peace through tougher sanctions and better weapons for Kyiv's forces.
But tensions between Moscow and NATO are already escalating sharply over the war, and there is a growing risk of a direct clash between the two nuclear-armed sides.
Western allies accuse Moscow of waging "hybrid war" against them, such as the recent series of alleged airspace violations by Russian aircraft. The Kremlin has described NATO as "at war" with Russia through its material support for Ukraine.
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Tomahawk Missiles a Calculated Gamble
Peskov had also noted media reports of intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Ukraine that would enable deep strikes into Russia, saying such information does not appear from thin air, according to state-run RIA. He said the U.S. and NATO have been constantly providing intelligence to Ukraine.
Tomahawks would enable Ukraine's forces to hit military targets deep in Russia, such as air bases and armaments factories. But handing Tomahawks to Kyiv would escalate a conflict Trump is struggling to end, and risk setting off a chain of events that could end with a direct war between Russia and NATO.
It would be a calculated gamble designed to pressure Russia into finally ending its war, but one with potentially disastrous consequences if it backfires.
Speaking to Fox News in an interview taped Friday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration was reviewing a request by Zelensky for the missiles.
“It’s something that the president is going to make the final determination on. I know that we’re reviewing that request. We’re also reviewing a number of other requests,” Vance said.
Peace Rests on Two Issues
A peace deal in Ukraine remains stuck on two key issues: the division of territory and the future architecture of Ukrainian security.
Russia wants formal recognition of the Ukrainian territory it has seized over the course of its invasion, which Kyiv and European allies have refused to accept.
Moscow has also said it would not accept peacekeeping troops from NATO allies on the ground in Ukraine when the war is over, saying Kyiv's ambitions to join the U.S.-led alliance are a "root cause" of its invasion.
Ukraine says security decisions are its own to make as a sovereign state and that Russia does not have a say. Kyiv also says it is constitutionally bound not to cede any of its territory.
Updated, 10/2/25, 8:08 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.
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