The Pentagon agrees to give Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. The final decision is up to Donald Trump, who has so far given contradictory signs

The Pentagon has given the green light to the White House to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, reports CNN, but the final decision rests with Donald Trump, who has so far had mixed statements on the matter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for Tomahawk missiles, with a range of about 1,600 km, to be able to more effectively strike targets on Russian soil.

The US Joint Staff has completed its assessment and informed the White House that the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine is militarily feasible and does not affect US strategic stockpiles.

The review was completed before President Trump hosted his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Washington, but it has now come to light.

At the same time, the Pentagon's conclusion gave hope to several European officials, who said that the United States has “less excuses” not to deliver these missiles, CNN also writes. Thus, even Trump had stated, a few days before the meeting with Zelenskiy, that the US “has a lot of Tomahawks” that could potentially be transferred to Ukraine.

But the surprise came during Zelenski's visit. Trump reversed course and said the US “needs” the Tomahawk missiles. Behind closed doors, the US president told Zelenski directly that Washington would not provide them – “at least not yet”.

Trump changed his position a day after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to CNN, the Kremlin leader would have sent Trump a clear message: although the Tomahawk missiles, capable of hitting large cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, would not have a significant impact on the battlefield, their delivery would seriously affect the US-Russia relationship.

A major, still unanswered problem for Ukraine

However, CNN writes that the subject of missiles is not completely closed. The administration has drawn up plans for their swift transfer should Trump give the order.

Moreover, the American president seems increasingly frustrated by Putin's refusal to seriously engage in peace talks, approving new sanctions against Russian oil companies last week and canceling, for the time being, a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest, the quoted source writes.

While the Pentagon has no concerns about the stockpiles, US defense officials are still looking into how Ukraine might use the missiles, official sources said. There are still several operational aspects that need to be clarified in order for Ukraine to use them effectively.

Tomahawks are usually launched from surface ships or submarines, but the Ukrainian navy is heavily damaged, so the missiles would most likely have to be launched from land. The US Navy and Army have developed land-based launchers that could be made available to Ukraine.