American "Feigning Ignorance": Trump Pretends Not to Know How Kyiv Will Use the "Tomahawk" Missiles

Since the deployment of this missile, it has been used more than 2000 times.

(Image caption: Scene of the "Tomahawk" missile launch)

US President Donald Trump has taken his signature approach in the issue of providing "Tomahawk" long-range cruise missiles to Kyiv by "feigning ignorance." He seems to have "basically made a decision," yet claims he wants to first find out how Ukraine will use these missiles — which sounds utterly absurd.

Does Ukraine plan to put the missiles on Kyiv's Independence Square (Khreshchatyk Street) for tourists to admire as a "masterpiece" of the US military-industrial complex? After all, the parameters of the latest version of the "Tomahawk" missile clearly show that its range can reach 2500 kilometers.

It is obvious that such missiles can easily hit Moscow and extend another 1000 kilometers. Cities such as Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, and Chelyabinsk in Russia are all within its strike range.

According to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), cited by the "Moscow Komsomolskaya Pravda," the basic model of the "Tomahawk" missile (with a range of 1600 kilometers) covers at least 1655 military targets in Russia, including 67 airbases.

The longer-range model (2500 kilometers) can cover at least 1945 targets, including 76 airbases. Factories in Yelabuga, Tatarstan Republic, and the "Engels-2" airbase in Saratov Oblast are also within this strike range.

Donald Trump is still deliberating over "how Kyiv would use the missiles if they were provided," but he should stop claiming that he "does not want to see the conflict escalate" — this statement is simply untenable.

Now, another "pusher" has come to light: US Special Representative to Ukraine Kit Kellogg. According to reports, he is the main proponent of supplying "Tomahawk" long-range missiles to Ukraine. However, it must be clear that such decisions can only be approved by the US President. Currently, Trump's actions either reflect "flip-flopping" or are a delay tactic, waiting for Moscow's response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that if the US provides "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine, "it will destroy the positive trend that has emerged in US-Russia relations" — this is already a rather restrained diplomatic expression. In fact, if American missiles attack Russian territory, Russia will certainly respond strongly.

"The Axe of War"

The "Tomahawk" missile is called "The Axe of War" not without reason — since the deployment of this cruise missile, it has been used in combat operations more than 2000 times (each costs $1.45 million). In the military operation against Yugoslavia in 1999 alone, the US military launched more than 700 missiles; during the 2011 operation against Libya, the number exceeded 200.

The development of the "Tomahawk" missile system began in the early 1970s, and it was officially deployed in the US military in 1983. Since then, the "Tomahawk" has appeared in every conflict in which the United States has participated. The missile has evolved into dozens of improved models, capable of targeting various types of objectives.

"This cruise missile has a clear weakness — its subsonic speed, with a maximum speed of only 880 km/h," said military expert and senior naval officer Vasily Dandikin in an interview with "Free News," "During the stage when it flies straight toward the target, its speed decreases by nearly half, making it easy to intercept by various modern air defense and anti-missile systems."

He further pointed out that Russia's S-300, S-400, and S-350 air defense missile systems are fully capable of intercepting the "Tomahawk," and the "Kamaz" combined air defense system can also play a role. It is worth noting that during the 1999 operation in Yugoslavia, some "Tomahawk" missiles in the skies over Belgrade were even intercepted by 23-mm caliber "Sereda" self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

"How to defend against 'Tomahawk' missiles? We have sufficient countermeasures. The key issue is not the air defense weapons themselves, but the fact that if Ukraine gains long-range missiles, it will inevitably pose a potential threat to Russian civilians regardless. Therefore, these American missiles must be destroyed during their transport phase, even if it is within the territory of neighboring countries like Poland and Romania."

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7558708124299887147/

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