The Pentagon has approved providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles after determining it would not harm U.S. stockpiles, leaving the final decision to President Donald Trump, three U.S. and European officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
The move comes amid heightened global nuclear tensions and ongoing debate within the administration over how far to go in supporting Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff delivered their assessment to the White House earlier this month, CNN reported, shortly before Trump’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, who has urged Washington to supply the weapons to strike oil and energy facilities deep inside Russia.
Newsweek has not verified the information and has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon via email on Friday afternoon for comment.
Supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles poses both strategic and political challenges for the Trump administration. The long-range missiles, capable of striking targets up to 1,000 miles away, would significantly boost Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian infrastructure deep inside enemy territory. According to CNN, Pentagon officials say U.S. stockpiles could support the transfer without weakening American readiness, but the decision ultimately requires balancing deterrence, diplomacy and domestic politics.
Shaun Pinner, a former British Army solider who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a contracted fighter in 2018 and has fought during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said on X, "Tomahawks won’t magically win the war. They will give Putin a consequence to think about, which, shockingly, he hasn’t had in years."
Rising Nuclear Uncertainty: What to Know
But such a move risks escalating tensions with Moscow at a time when Washington is also navigating heightened nuclear concerns and managing global perceptions of its military posture.
Trump on Friday refused to clarify whether the United States plans to resume underground nuclear detonation tests, following a social media post that appeared to suggest such a move for the first time in three decades. Asked by reporters if the U.S. would restart testing, Trump replied, “You’ll find out very soon,” without elaborating.
His remarks have fueled confusion within the government and among allies after he appeared to imply the U.S. might conduct tests “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, whose last known nuclear tests were in the 1990s. Some officials said Trump’s comments may have referred to missile testing rather than detonating nuclear warheads.
The U.S. has not conducted a nuclear weapons test since 1992, though it routinely tests missiles capable of carrying warheads. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, signed but not ratified by Washington, has largely prevented such detonations, with North Korea being the only nation to break it. Trump’s post came as Russia announced tests of a new nuclear-powered drone and cruise missile.
Moscow responded by stressing that it has not violated the global testing ban but warned that if the U.S. resumes detonations, Russia would follow suit — raising fears of renewed Cold War-era tensions.
Who Manufactures Tomahawk Missiles?
The Tomahawk cruise missile is manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a division of RTX Corporation. The company’s facility in Tucson, Arizona, handles most of the missile’s assembly, integration and testing. Originally developed by General Dynamics in the 1970s, production later shifted through McDonnell Douglas and Hughes Aircraft before being consolidated under Raytheon. Today, Raytheon remains the sole producer of the long-range, precision-guided weapon used by both the U.S. Navy and several allied militaries.
Senior Ukrainian officials visiting the U.S. have recently met with major U.S. defense companies, including the manufacturer of the Tomahawk missile that Kyiv has repeatedly requested.
Ukraine's prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, Rustem Umerov—formerly Ukraine's defense minister, now the head of the country's national security and defense council—as well as Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishyna met with representatives from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, said Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff.
Updates: 10/31/25, 2:31 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 10/31/25, 5:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
