Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to recent remarks by his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, and talk of the U.S. signing off on sending Ukraine the Tomahawk subsonic cruise missiles, known for their precision and speed.
The White House is considering the request for the long-range missiles, as the U.S. vice president confirmed earlier this week.
Putin said, “Using Tomahawks without the direct participation of American military personnel is impossible.”
“This would mark a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States,” he added.
As Reuters reported earlier on Thursday, the U.S. has to consider existing inventory commitments and the required training to operate the missiles in question.
Vice President JD Vance said over the weekend the U.S. might supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. Vance’s comments come after Trump in a Truth Social post called Russia a “paper tiger” last week.
Putin pushed back on Trump’s assessment. “A paper tiger. What follows then? Go and deal with this paper tiger,” the Russian president said.
“Well if we are fighting with the entire NATO bloc, we are moving, advancing, and we feel confident, and we are a paper tiger, then what is NATO itself?” he added.
In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Vance said Russia has to “wake up and accept reality here.”
“We want peace here,” Vance said.
He spoke about the realities of the long sustained conflict between Ukraine and Russia that started when Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
“A lot of people are dying,” Vance said. “They don’t have a lot to show for it. How many more people are they willing to lose? How many more people are they willing to kill for very little, if any, gain in the military advantage on the ground there?”
He added: “I think the answer is, hopefully not that much, but certainly our attitude here is we’re going to keep on working for peace, and we hope the Russians actually wake up to the reality on the ground.”
Trump changing his mind on Russia-Ukraine
Trump, who previously urged Ukraine to give up the fight against Russia, seemed to change his mind on the conflict after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week, as the Deseret News reported.
“After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” he wrote on social media after the meeting.
Trump has grown frustrated with Putin’s lack of interest in negotiating an end to the war. He campaigned for president on the promise that he will end the war. Nine months into his presidency, after he reopened the channels of diplomatic communication, the Trump White House’s progress with Moscow on ending the war is negligible.
“Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger,’” Trump wrote in the post.
Ukraine requests long-range missiles
Ukraine is in the process of negotiating a foreign aid and weapons package with the U.S., as Zelenskyy revealed last weekend.
This package, estimated to be around $90 billion, includes a request for Tomahawk missiles to defend the country. These missiles have a range of up to 1,550 miles and are known for their precision strikes. Moscow would be within Ukraine’s reach through these missiles.
According to Axios, Ukraine has asked the U.S. for the Tomahawk missiles several times in 2025.
Zelesnkyy did not specifically name the weapons he requested but he told Axios he thinks “Trump knows” what Ukraine needs to win.
“I said to him yesterday what we need, one thing,” he said. “By the way, we need it, but it doesn’t mean that we will use it. Because if we will have it, I think it’s additional pressure on Putin to sit and speak.”
The Trump and Biden administrations have showed reluctance to approve the sale of long-range missiles in the past.
Vance told Fox News Trump will make “final determination” on whether the White House will supply Ukraine with the Tomahawk missiles.
“We’re certainly looking at a number of requests from the Europeans,” Vance added.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News Sunday that Trump has authorized Ukraine the use of other American-made missiles.
“This is where I think they have the opportunity to challenge Russia much more aggressively,” he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed the threat, saying nothing “can change the situation on the front for the Kyiv regime,” as BBC reported.
“Whether it’s Tomahawks or other missiles, they won’t be able to change the dynamic,” he added.