The US Department of Defense approves providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, final decision handed over to Trump

Jinse Finance reported, citing CNN, that three well-informed US and European officials revealed that the Pentagon has assessed that providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles would not weaken the US military’s active stockpiles, and has given the green light to the White House, leaving the final political decision to US President Trump. Earlier this month, during a working lunch at the White House with Ukrainian President Zelensky, Trump explicitly stated his reluctance to provide the missile, saying “we cannot give up the weapons reserves needed to defend our own country.” The Joint Chiefs of Staff submitted an assessment report to the White House earlier this month, coinciding with Zelensky’s ongoing lobbying to obtain the missile—Ukraine hopes to use its approximately 1,600-kilometer range to more effectively strike deep Russian energy facilities. Two European officials pointed out that this assessment has encouraged European allies, who believe the US now lacks a legitimate reason to refuse providing the missiles. Notably, just days before meeting with Zelensky, Trump publicly stated that the US “has a large number of Tomahawk missiles available to provide to Ukraine.”