Bad news for Putin, US likely to supply Ukraine THIS deadly missile, has range of 2500 km, it is…, Russian Foreign Minister says, ‘Decisive…’

Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said that the United States is weighing Ukraine’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles for its effort to push back against Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested that the US sell Tomahawks to European countries that would send them to Ukraine. Vance stated, to Fox News Sunday, that US President Doland Trump would make the “final determination” on whether to allow the deal.

What is the Tomahawk missile that the US may supply to Ukraine?

“We’re certainly looking at a number of requests from the Europeans,” Vance was quoted as saying by Reuters.

How far can the Tomahawk missile strike its target?

With a striking range of 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles), the Tomahawk missile would be a formidable asset for Ukraine. It is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile and is used by the navies of the United States and the United Kingdom. The missile’s GPS, inertial navigation systems, and terrain-contour matching technologies allow for precision strikes. Furthermore, the missile can travel at very low elevations to avoid radars, which makes it difficult to intercept.

Tomahawk missiles can be fired from naval ships, submarines, and land-based platform launch systems. The Tomahawk is capable of delivering up to the equivalent of  450 kilograms of high explosives or other munitions. Tomahawk missiles are primarily used to be employed against high-value, well-defended targets on land. They are instrumental in destroying communications and air-defense systems, and other important targets. It has been employed during several important military operations, including the Gulf War in 1991 and strikes in Syria in 2017.

Trump has previously rejected Ukraine’s request to use long-range missiles but has expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to negotiate a peace deal. Vance also noted that no significant territorial gains have been made by Russia in the invasion of Ukraine, suggesting it is stalled.

“We’ve been actively pursuing peace from the very beginning of the administration, but the Russians have got to wake up and accept reality here. A lot of people are dying. They don’t have a lot to show for it,” Vance said.

The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has taken a massive human toll. According to a June estimate by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, over 250,000 Russian soldiers and between 60,000 and 100,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed, according to The Hill.Civilian casualties have also been devastating. The United Nations reported on September 10 that more than 14,100 Ukrainian civilians have died in the conflict. Meanwhile, The Moscow Times, an independent outlet now operating from Amsterdam, reported in May that over 620 Russian civilians have also lost their lives.Vance, noting the mounting death toll, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to meet with Trump and Zelensky.

Why is Russia warning of a decisive response?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday said Moscow is open to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, stressing that Russia’s security concerns and the rights of Russian-speaking people must be addressed before any settlement. “As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasised, Russia has been and remains open to negotiations on eliminating the root causes of the conflict,” Lavrov said at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.”

Russia’s security and its vital interest must be reliably agreed. The rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people in the territories that remain under the control of the Kyiv regime must be restored in full. On this basis, we are ready to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.”

Earlier on Saturday, Russia’s top diplomat warned of a “decisive response” to any act of “aggression” after Trump supported calls to shoot down Russian aircraft that violate NATO airspace. “Russia is being accused of almost planning to attack the North Atlantic alliance and the European Union countries,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN General Assembly, reported AFP. He further stated, “Russia has never had and does not have any such intentions. However, any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response.”