Putin Issues Warning of “New Escalation Phase” if Tomahawk Missiles Are Sent to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the supply of American Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would lead to a “qualitatively new” stage of escalation in relations between Moscow and Washington.

“Will this damage the relationship that had some light at the end of the tunnel? Of course, it will,” Putin emphasized, adding that the use of Tomahawks would be impossible without direct involvement from the American military.

“This will mark a qualitatively new stage of escalation between Russia and the United States,” he cautioned.

Putin described the Tomahawk as a “powerful weapon” that poses a significant threat to Russia but assured that Moscow is prepared to respond. “Can Tomahawks harm us? Yes, they can. We’ll shoot them down and enhance our air defense system,” he stated.

He noted that the U.S. had previously supplied Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, which had inflicted “certain damage,” but assured that Russian forces had learned to intercept them. At the same time, Putin expressed confidence that the delivery of new cruise missiles “would not change the strategic situation at the front in any way.”