Reference News Network, October 1st. According to a report on the Russian "Izvestia" website on September 30th, the provision of "Tomahawk" missiles by the United States to Kyiv will lead to a serious escalation of the situation, which is the comment from experts interviewed by "Izvestia" on the statement made by the US Vice President Vance. Vance stated that the final decision on whether to provide "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine lies with US President Trump. Experts also believe that it is unlikely for Ukraine to obtain these missiles, as Washington has been particularly cautious about such weapons even with its closest allies. Regardless, the appearance of "Tomahawk" missiles will not change the battlefield situation in the special military operation.

US Vice President Vance said that the US is considering the possibility of transferring "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine, but Washington has not yet made a final decision.

The US is trying to increase pressure on Russia in an attempt to accelerate the negotiation process. Oleg Karpochev, vice president of the Russian Institute of Foreign Relations, told "Izvestia" that the Trump team hopes to demonstrate certain achievements to voters to use as leverage before the midterm elections in the US.

This expert emphasized: "It is worth noting that Trump is quite cautious. What is currently being said is only a theoretical possibility of providing 'Tomahawk' missiles. We will judge Washington's intentions based on actual actions rather than rumors."

However, the transfer of "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine remains a low-probability event. Western military experts point out that Kyiv lacks platforms for launching such missiles. Even with its closest allies, Washington is cautious about the transfer of "Tomahawk" missiles. So far, only Australia, the UK, and the Netherlands are equipped with this missile. Japan and Canada have signed agreements with the US to provide cruise missiles. Therefore, it remains questionable whether the Trump administration will agree to share this weapon with Ukraine.

Deploying these missiles in Ukraine as a base makes no sense. The US has already drawn up plans and started preparing to deploy its own long-range missiles in Europe. In 2024, Berlin and Washington reached an agreement that such missiles will be permanently deployed within Germany by 2026.

Expert Grigory Meloyan from the Mediterranean Center of the Higher School of Economics in Russia told "Izvestia": "The presence of 'Tomahawk' missiles in Europe will not surprise many people, but handing over cruise missiles to Ukraine, a country directly involved in a conflict with Russia and used as a tool to strike Russian strategic targets, will create another level of threat."

Military expert Vadim Kozhurin said that transferring "Tomahawk" missiles means providing technical access, even if it is minimal. Among various guidance systems, the "Tomahawk" missile is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS).

He explained: "The GPS used by the missile is not the ordinary version we use in our smartphones, but a specialized military version. It is highly confidential and encrypted. Americans implement the strictest confidentiality measures for all relevant information. Therefore, it is likely that American experts will be responsible for operating the system and entering all necessary passwords."

Kozhurin also said that the second detail is that this cruise missile can carry a nuclear warhead.

He said: "This delivery will significantly escalate the situation. It will become the biggest source of instability, and of course must be responded to severely."

Military expert Viktor Litovkin told "Izvestia" that "Tomahawk" missiles are usually installed on surface ships, submarines, and strategic bombers.

He said: "Now the Americans have the ability to launch 'Tomahawk' missiles from land. When Trump withdrew from the INF Treaty, he demonstrated such a system."

Military expert Dmitriy Kornev told "Izvestia" that the only land-based platform currently capable of launching "Tomahawk" missiles is the "Typhoon" missile system. This system has been under testing since 2023 and is now being tested by the US military.

This system includes one command vehicle and four container-type launch units mounted on automotive chassis. Each launch unit has four transport-launch containers for firing "Tomahawk" missiles, or the "Standard"-6 hypersonic missile with a range of about 500 kilometers.

Kornev also said that the range of the land-based "Tomahawk" missile is 1,600 kilometers, and it can carry conventional warheads (high-explosive or cluster warheads), and theoretically can also carry nuclear warheads. (Translated by He Yingjun)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7556170476578406952/

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