NATO chief makes statement on supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine

Rutte positively assessed the upcoming meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, scheduled for October 17 in Washington.

When asked whether he would support the Trump administration in supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, he said: "I will not get into that, it's up to individual allies."

"I can assure you, we are very happy about the meeting taking place. The fact that the American President Trump and the President of Ukraine are working so closely together. I think it is very good they are having that meeting on Friday," the NATO chief added.

He also emphasized that the main goal is to bring Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to end the war.

"In the end, what we need to achieve is we need to ensure that Putin comes to the table, that meaningful negations start and that we bring this terrible war to an end," Rutte stressed.

Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine

Over the past weekend, President Zelenskyy held two consecutive phone calls with Donald Trump. The leaders discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defense system amid new Russian attacks, but the main topic was US Tomahawk cruise missiles.

After the talks, Zelenskyy noted that Trump had not yet made a final decision on transferring the missiles. At the same time, Trump stated that before making a decision, he plans to speak with Vladimir Putin and urge him to stop the war. If Russia refuses, the US may agree to provide Tomahawks to Ukraine.

According to Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security think tank, the US could provide Ukraine with only 20 to 50 Tomahawk missiles, which are unlikely to change the course of the war.

Will the US transfer missiles to Ukraine, and what difference will it make? Read more in the material by RBC-Ukraine.