Klimkin: just several Tomahawks sold to Kyiv would change U.S.–Russia relations

“The very discussion of Tomahawks, to me, reflects a shift in [Trump’s] rhetoric and mentality,” Klimkin said.

“Yes, there may be elements of pressure that are rhetorical, but more likely they signal a real change of approach. Trump is effectively saying, ‘I’m willing to wait if Putin isn’t ready for genuine negotiations. But if that time isn’t used to recognize the importance of serious [peace] talks, we’ll step up pressure on Russia.”

Klimkin added that while a few cruise missiles “won’t change the situation on the battlefield, they will change the political situation. They will fundamentally alter the political picture, especially between Trump and Putin.”

He noted that Putin himself has warned that Ukraine getting Tomahawks would derail the current détente between Moscow and Washington.

“Basically, Trump is signaling that unless Putin is prepared to agree on terms he [Trump] thinks are important (we understand those are not our terms, but also definitely not Putin’s terms), there could be another wave of increased pressure [on Russia] or even several of them.”

On Oct. 6, Trump said he had “sort of made a decision pretty much” to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that such a move “would be a serious escalation.”