President Vladimir Putin warned that a potential U.S. decision to supply Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would cause serious damage to Russian-American relations.
Speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club, he called such a move “a qualitatively new stage of escalation.”
The remark came after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News that the Trump administration is weighing the option, though the final word rests with President Donald Trump.
Putin dismissed the battlefield impact of the missiles, saying Russia’s armed forces had already adapted to intercepting ATACMS and would learn to neutralize Tomahawks as well.
“This will not change anything on the ground,” he said.
Moscow has consistently argued that Western weapons deliveries obstruct peace efforts and draw NATO deeper into the war. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing arms for Ukraine will be treated as a legitimate military target.
Kremlin officials have also stressed that flooding Ukraine with weapons undermines prospects for negotiations and risks triggering wider confrontation.
