President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for Tomahawk missiles from the U.S. as part of the "non-nuclear deterrence package" in his victory plan, the New York Times reported on Oct. 29, citing undisclosed U.S. officials.
Zelensky’s victory plan comprises five points with three classified parts. The third point refers to non-nuclear deterrence, a part of which is classified.
Ukraine is proposing a "comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on its territory" that would safeguard the country against future aggression, a part of which would consist of receiving Tomahawk missiles, according to the Times’ report.
Tomahawk missiles have a range of more than 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles), seven times the range of the long-range missile systems called ATACMS that Ukraine received from the U.S.
According to the officials, Ukraine did not manage to convince Western diplomats why it needed Tomahawks. The number of Ukraine’s targets in Russia also allegedly far exceeds the stockpiles the U.S. could hand over without jeopardizing its interests in the Middle East and Asia.
The outlet also cites four U.S. officials who claimed Zelensky was surprised that U.S. President Joe Biden did not grant him permission to use U.S. long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia when they met in Washington in September. This was confirmed by Zelensky's office.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
