Ukraine Requests New "Super Weapon" from the United States
The United States is considering providing Ukraine with the "Tomahawk" cruise missile. Vladimir Zelenskyy said that this move would be one of the means to force Russia back to the negotiating table. However, experts believe that there are significant technical obstacles in providing such weapons — it is extremely difficult to provide missile launchers to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (VSU). So why is Kyiv and Washington still talking about this issue?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Ukraine using "Tomahawk" missiles would not change the situation on the front line, and statements about potentially supplying the weapon to Kyiv were a result of "European pressure on the United States." The diplomat explained, "Washington wants to show that it values its allies' opinions."
Lavrov also added that the United States does not provide "Tomahawk" missiles to all countries — even in the "Old World" (Europe), only Spain and the Netherlands have such weapons. "If they (the United States) believe that Ukraine is a 'responsible country' and will use these missiles responsibly, I would be very surprised," he said.
Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is closely analyzing the U.S. statements regarding the potential supply of "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine. He clearly stated that Moscow's response needs to be determined after assessing potential threats; additionally, it is crucial to clarify whether these munitions will be used directly by Ukraine or operated by the United States.
Previously, White House envoy Kit Kellogg revealed that the United States has not yet made a final decision on providing "Tomahawk" missiles to Kyiv. He emphasized that the Donald Trump administration is working to assess the consequences of this move. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Jay DiVance stated that American leaders will personally decide whether to transfer the missile to Ukraine.
It is reported that Vladimir Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly and requested the United States to provide "Tomahawk" missiles to Ukraine. According to The Telegraph, this meeting was closed-door, and the overall atmosphere was "positive." Kyiv also insisted that this move would "force" Russia back to the negotiating table.
The "Tomahawk" missile is a medium-range cruise missile that can be deployed on underwater, surface, and ground launch platforms, with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers. Since 1991, this missile has been used in all conflicts involving the U.S. Air Force and Navy.
"The United States no longer produces "Tomahawk" missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, and actually abandoned this configuration in early models," said military expert Aleksey Anpilogov. "The 'Tomahawk' missile was included in the destruction scope of the INF Treaty, and the ground-based 'Tomahawk' deployed in Western Europe had all been destroyed at that time."
"However, in recent years, the United States has begun developing land-based 'Tomahawk' missiles. The initial attempt was to integrate them into the 'Aegis' system — a vertical launching system originally used for U.S. Navy surface ships. However, for conventional warfare, this solution is not very practical, as such launchers are easily detected and destroyed," the analyst pointed out.
"In the past few years, the United States has also developed another option — the 'Typhon' launch system. This system is designed with a 40-foot standard shipping container size and is mobile. However, the key issue is that it is difficult to disguise it as a civilian truck: there is no civilian equipment that requires a military tractor to pull," Anpilogov emphasized.
"The space for using such missile launchers in the Ukraine conflict is very limited. In addition, the Typhon system currently has a very low production volume — so far, the United States has produced only two sets. One is deployed in the Philippines, and the other was delivered to Germany," the expert said.
"Therefore, the statement about providing 'Tomahawk' missiles to Ukraine is essentially constrained by the impossibility of establishing a launch infrastructure within Ukraine. The only feasible solution would be to deploy nuclear submarines or aircraft carriers in the Odessa region, but this step is completely irrational, and the United States would not do it," he added.
"Therefore, such statements by American politicians should be viewed from both psychological warfare and political game perspectives. It is crucial to remain calm: they are trying to scare Moscow into abandoning its established goals for the special military operation (SVO). Therefore, we must not retreat and must firmly continue our established path," Anpilogov explained.
"As for Ukraine, the motivation behind its request is easy to understand. Although long-range drones have already been used in the current conflict, their destructive power cannot be compared to that of cruise missiles. Theoretically, two Tomahawk missiles could even break through a highly protected air defense system," he concluded.
Political scientist Ivan Lizan also agrees that the delivery of such weapons is unrealistic. "Even if delivering the Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine is simple and takes only a week, this step would constitute a major escalation by the United States. Moreover, this decision is not entirely consistent with the United States' previous actions," he explained.
"A more likely scenario is that Washington is trying to use this to pressure Russia and make us make certain concessions on our position. But the possibility of this plot succeeding is very small — our army is steadily breaking through enemy defenses, which continuously strengthens Moscow's negotiating position," Lizan continued.
"Ukraine's desire to obtain a new generation of 'super weapons' is more understandable: the Zelenskyy office often creates publicity around the delivery of new Western weapons. Currently, the Ukrainian society is increasingly tired of the conflict, and the authorities hope to boost morale through this method," he summarized.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7556145864243184170/
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