Kremlin uses ‘nuclear saber-rattling’ to deter US Tomahawk supply to Ukraine, think tank says

The Kremlin has used “veiled military threats,” including “nuclear saber-rattling,” to try to dissuade Washington from sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, over fears they could inflict significant damage on Russia’s war machine, a U.S. defense think tank has said.

Kyiv has long pressed Washington to provide Tomahawks, advanced long-range missiles known for their pinpoint accuracy.

Combined with Ukraine’s home-grown drones, the Tomahawks — with a range of between 1,600 and 2,500 kilometers — could deal serious blows to Moscow’s military facilities, enabling Kyiv to strike deep inside Russian territory, potentially reaching as far as Siberia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on Friday to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in a push to secure the delivery of the missiles.

However, Trump signaled greater interest in pursuing a peace deal than in expanding Ukraine’s arsenal. While he did not rule out supplying Kyiv with Tomahawks, Trump appeared cool to the prospect as he looked ahead to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the coming weeks.

‘Nuclear saber-rattling’

The U.S.-based defense think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), said in its latest analysis published on Friday that “Putin and other Kremlin mouthpieces have repeatedly portrayed the possible provision of Tomahawk missiles as a significant escalation in an effort to deter support for Ukraine.”

“The Kremlin has consistently relied on veiled and explicit threats, including nuclear saber-rattling, and has offered economic incentives to deter Western aid to Ukraine,” it added.

According to ISW, the Tomahawk missiles’ long-range capabilities and sizable payload would enable the Ukrainian military to inflict substantial damage on key military assets located deep within Russian territory.

The think tank estimates that at least 1,655 military targets could potentially be within the missiles’ range, including 67 air bases and other facilities critical to Moscow’s war operations in Ukraine.

Following his talks with Trump on Friday, Zelenskyy said that the prospect of Ukraine having Tomahawks had caused Russia to be “afraid.”/TVP Word/