Expert: Ukraine unlikely to receive new Tomahawk, old version ineffective against Russia
According to TASS news agency, geopolitical analyst Patrick Henningsen said Kiev will not receive the latest versions of US Tomahawk missiles, while older versions will not be effective against Russia's air defense system.
Speaking on the YouTube channel "Deep Dive", Mr. Henningsen - geopolitical analyst, journalist, founder of the 21st Century Wire portal, said that the West is returning to faith in "miracle weapons", believing that they can change the situation on the battlefield.
However, he is sure that the West will not provide Kiev with the most effective and advanced versions of weapons, including Tomahawks.
"They cannot do so for many reasons, especially the risk of technology disclosure if the missile falls into Russian hands, if the missile fails to explode,...", he explained.
Mr Henningsen added that the Tomahawk versions Ukraine might receive would not be top-of-the-line. “If they are older versions, they are really slow,” he said.
According to him, such weapons are only effective against "a country without air defense forces", but "that is not the case" with Russia.
Meanwhile, in an article for The American Conservative magazine, commentator Ted Snider also commented that the administration of US President Donald Trump is unlikely to transfer long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, as this risks drawing the US into a direct conflict with Russia.
According to him, Ukraine cannot use these cruise missiles without US intelligence data to identify targets and guide them, this is a potential "red line" that could drag the US into direct conflict with Russia.
The article also said the US produces fewer than 200 of these missiles a year and has low inventories, "which means Ukraine is unlikely to receive many, if any."
Information about the supply of Tomahawks to Ukraine is still inconsistent. US Vice President JD Vance previously said that the Washington administration is considering providing Tomahawk missiles to other NATO countries for transfer to Ukraine, and the final decision will be made by President Donald Trump. However, on September 26, Axios reported that Mr. Trump refused to provide this type of missile to Kiev, noting that this is the only weapon system on the list that the US leader does not approve of selling to NATO countries in Europe to aid Ukraine.
On the Russian side, speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club on October 2, President Vladimir Putin said that "the use of Tomahawk missiles without the direct participation of US military personnel is impossible." He warned: "If this happens, it will herald a completely new phase of escalation in terms of quality, including in relations between Russia and the United States."
