Russia to analyze whether U.S. will provide targeting data alongside Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine

Russia said on Monday that it would carefully analyse whether any U.S. Tomahawk missiles that might be supplied to Ukraine were fired using targeting data supplied by the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said that Western countries will make themselves direct parties to the war if they supply targeting and intelligence to enable Ukraine to fire missiles deep inside Russia.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request to obtain Tomahawks, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles) – easily far enough to hit Moscow if fired from Ukraine.

Asked about Vance’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was analysing them carefully.

“The question, as before, is this: who can launch these missiles…? Can only Ukrainians launch them, or do American soldiers have to do that?” he said.

“Who is determining the targeting of these missiles? The American side or the Ukrainians themselves?” Peskov added, saying “a very in-depth analysis” was required.

In any case, he said, Tomahawks would not be a game-changer.

“Even if this happens, there’s no panacea that can change the situation on the front for the Kyiv regime right now. There’s no magic weapon. And whether it’s Tomahawks or other missiles, they won’t be able to change the dynamic,” Peskov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked the United States to sell Tomahawks to European nations that would send them to Ukraine.

Separately, Ukraine has offered to build a joint aerial defence shield with its allies to “shield against Russian aerial threats.”

“This is possible. Ukraine can counter all kinds of Russian drones and missiles and if we act together in the region we will have enough weapons and production capacity,” Zelenskiy said in an address to the Warsaw Security Forum delivered via video link.