Putin warns of ‘new level of escalation’ if US supplies Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine

SOCHI – Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned that if the United States supplies Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine this would lead to a “whole new level of escalation” and ruin US-Russian relations.

Putin was responding to questions at a forum in Sochi and defiantly said the Tomahawks would not change the situation on the battlefield.

The cruise missiles with a range of 2,500km (1,550 miles) would be a game changer in allowing Ukraine to defend itself and regain territory lost to Russia’s invasion.

This is because Ukraine is largely relying on drones for long-range strikes deep into Russia.

“The supply of long-range missile systems, including Tomahawks, to Ukraine will lead to the destruction of the emerging positive trends in relations between Russia and the United States,” Putin told Russian TV propagandist Pavel Zarubin.

Last month US president Donald Trump called Russia a “paper tiger” for failing to make territorial gains despite relentless attacks and spending vast resources.