CNN: Pentagon authorises Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but Trump refuses

Donald Trump. Photo: Getty Images

The Pentagon has authorised the transfer of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, but US President Donald Trump, under the influence of Russia, has decided not to approve this decision for now.

This was reported by CNN, citing its own sources.

According to the TV channel, the Pentagon concluded that the transfer of missiles to Ukraine would not harm US arsenals. In early October, the Joint Chiefs of Staff informed the White House of this just before Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington. The Ukrainian president then insisted on providing these missiles.

However, during the meeting, Donald Trump privately told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he would not support the Tomahawk transfer. According to CNN, this decision was influenced by a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin allegedly warned Trump that such missiles could reach major Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, which would «harm relations between the US and Russia».

Nevertheless, the channel's sources claim that Washington has not completely abandoned the idea of supplying missiles. The administration has prepared a plan to quickly transfer Tomahawks to Ukraine if Trump changes his mind.

At the same time, the US military is still working out technical and training issues, including how Ukraine will be able to launch these missiles. Tomahawks are usually launched from ships or submarines, but given the state of the Ukrainian navy, they are likely to be deployed on land-based launchers that the US can provide.

As a reminder, Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons.