Tomahawks Are Not About Missile Supremacy: Diplomat Explains What Russia Fears 0 21

Russia's main concerns are the presence of missiles on Ukrainian territory controlled by the United States, which could potentially carry nuclear weapons. This was stated in an interview with Obozrevatel by Valeriy Chaly, the diplomat and extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Ukraine to the USA from 2015 to 2019.

In response to a question about the possible transfer of Tomahawks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he noted that discussions about this have intensified due to the intention to force Russia to peace in order to cut off its ability to finance the war.

Chaly pointed out that the main source of funding for the Russian military budget is oil. Since it is not possible to completely cut off all legal and shadow exports, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are simply destroying the oil industry with missiles.

According to various data, the diplomat said, from 20% to 38% of Russia's oil refining capacities are currently under repair, which is already a "serious step." Therefore, deeper strikes are now needed.

According to Chaly, the Tomahawk is a symbolic missile, its range is quite large - over 2,000 kilometers.

"But the excitement arises not only because of this: it is not just about some missile superiority; it is an opportunity to significantly pressure Russia's trigger point, as Tomahawks are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Therefore, Russia's main concerns are the presence of missiles on Ukrainian territory controlled by the USA, which could potentially carry nuclear weapons," he explained.

"There Will Be No Taboo on Yelabuga"

At the same time, the former ambassador noted that they could provide us with another modification of missiles, with a shorter range, for example, 1,600 km.

"The Tomahawk is a cruise missile that is constantly being modified; despite decades of operation, it is very accurate and is guided to the target by space means. In fact, as the Russians believe, this would mean involving the USA in the war in Ukraine," Chaly said.

Moreover, he noted that if the Americans provide certain weapons, it will be for agreed targets. In his opinion, "there will be no taboo on Yelabuga," where drones are produced that strike the civilian population of Ukraine, the oil refining industry, and the military-industrial complex.

"In principle, another scenario may emerge: a small batch of dual-use missiles may be provided. It should be understood that the Tomahawk is an element of bargaining between Donald Trump and Putin, and the bargaining goes beyond the Russian-Ukrainian war. It is about agreements on limiting missiles with a range of up to 5,500 km; the Russians are interested in continuing these limitations because they are neither financially nor technologically capable of sustaining this arms race," the diplomat noted.

Russia Aims to Put Strategic Weapons Issues First

Chaly reminded how many missile explosions the Russians had before they managed to launch something.

"I am not even talking about the nuclear component; I think the last nuclear tests in Russia took place in 1996, almost 30 years ago, while the Americans have learned to conduct tests through computer modeling," he said.

At the same time, the Russians do not have such technology, so Russia calls for maintaining existing restrictions on missile programs, as they have no money. And the USA, according to Chaly, "has budgeted money for such purposes."

"I assume that Russia aims to put the issue of strategic weapons first, showing that the war in Ukraine is of little significance, saying, let’s talk about serious issues of peace... Or let us deal with Ukraine, just don’t supply them with weapons. This is roughly the discussion that continues," the former ambassador noted.

He added that the USA does not have thousands of Tomahawks to provide us in such quantities:

"From official sources, it is known that the US Navy does not have that many of these missiles, and they are needed for planned operations. So this is not about hundreds even. Tomahawks do not solve the issue of scaling - only domestic production will allow that."

Tomahawks as an Opportunity to Expose Putin's Bluffs

As reported earlier, the Atlantic Council magazine noted that continued Western support and further strengthening of Ukraine is the most reliable and effective way to quickly end the war in Ukraine through pressure on Russia.

Thus, the publication notes, while the USA is approaching a decision on supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, the Kremlin is intensifying its rhetoric, trying to influence Trump's decision. The authors of the article recalled the statements of Russian officials about these missiles. In particular, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, again resorted to nuclear threats, which were supported by self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.