Recently, senior Ukrainian officials went to the United States to talk to Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, two big defense companies.
The team was led by Ukrainian Prime Minister Sveridenko, Chairman of the National Security and Defense Council Umerov, and Ambassador to the United States Stefanishna. To put it bluntly, they came here for one thing, the "Tomahawk" cruise missile made by Raytheon Company, which Ukraine has been thinking about for a long time.
Ukraine needs long-range strikes on the battlefield right now.
Russia used to bomb them with "caliber" cruise missiles, but now Ukraine also wants to have equipment to fight back.
This time to see the U.S. company, on the one hand, is the "strike ax", on the other hand is also talking with Lockheed Martin about the F-16 fighter aircraft, after all, this fighter aircraft Ukraine received more than a year ago, and now want to use it to support the scene.
The "Tomahawk" talked about by Ukraine and the United States has a long range and can break air defense, but it is not a "panacea"
First of all, let’s tell you how powerful this missile is.
Raytheon said it could break through the enemy's multi-layer air defense system. The range is almost 1550 miles, making it completely within reach of important targets on the Russian border.
Russia's "caliber" missiles are almost the same performance as it, before the Russian military "caliber" bombed Ukraine's energy facilities, command stations, now if Ukraine got the "tacks", it is equal to the guy who can counter.
However, the Ukraine people were not full of words.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Melejko, told Newsweek, “We need a ‘strike ax’, but I don’t think it’s a universal remedy for solving the problem, but the role may be crucial.”
This is quite true. After all, even if you have missiles, it still depends on how to use them and whether they can really change the battlefield situation.
During this meeting, the Ukrainian side was very proud of U.S. technology.
Yelmar wrote on social media, "Every time a Russian missile is shot down and every enemy command post is destroyed, it confirms the quality and professionalism of American weapons."
He also mentioned F-16 fighter jets and advanced air defense systems, saying that these equipment is guarding the skies of Ukraine, and offensive weapons are also helping frontline troops.
I wanted to think that this was a speech, but later it was discovered that Ukraine did rely on these American-style equipment to support a lot of scenes, such as the F-16 arrival, indeed stopped a lot of Russian fighter jets.
Trump gives “war ax”? Russia directly speaks “serious consequences”
If Ukraine wants a "Tomahawk", the key depends on the attitude of the United States, especially Trump's thoughts.
Trump's attitude has changed a bit recently. He has repeatedly hinted that he may give Ukraine "Tomahawk" missiles.
Just before saying this, he had a second phone call with Zelensky in two days. Zelensky said that the two had talked about how to strengthen Ukraine's military strength, especially long-range combat capabilities.
There are probably two reasons why Trump relents like this.
First, he is increasingly dissatisfied with the Kremlin, and second, his team wants to promote a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine or sign a peace agreement, but there has been no progress.
In August, Oulu also held a face-to-face summit in Alaska, and the outcome was a failure.
Everyone who observed felt that Trump might want to use the housework "war ass" as a code, forcing Putin to sit down and negotiate, If you don’t talk to me, I’ll give Ukraine missiles that can hit you.
But Russia has already made harsh remarks.
Federal Security Council Vice Chairman Medvedev said on Monday that "launching such missiles could have negative consequences for everyone, especially for Trump himself."
The Russian side also said that if Trump really approved the Tomahawk, it would damage Russia-US relations and escalate the conflict. After all, Ukraine had to rely on the assistance of the United States to make good use of this missile.
The attitude in the United States is also different.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon called directly on Tuesday,"Mr. President, provide our allies with Tomahawk missiles!"
But the final decision has not yet been made, only that the New York Times says that if Trump were to knock his head, the Pentagon had written the specific plan for sending the "strike ax".
Zelensky then estimated that he would take the Ukrainian delegation to Washington to meet Trump, and at that time he would focus on "strengthening air defense" and "enhancing long-range operational capabilities" as the focus, saying it is to rush to "strike axe".
Now there is no accurate letter about this matter. No one can say whether Trump will give "Tomahawk" or not.
Yes, Russia will surely retaliate, the conflict may be more intense; no, Ukraine’s long-range strike needs are not met, and the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are still stiff.
Even if the Tomahawk missile is in the hands of Ukraine, it may not be able to immediately cease fire between Russia and Ukraine.
Putin has said before that he will not negotiate under pressure, and Russia's S-400 air defense system is not for consideration. Whether the "Tomahawk" can really hit it is still open.
Do you think that Trump will eventually hit the "Tax"? can this missile really get Russia to sit down and talk?