14:58 09-10-2025

Tomahawk Missiles Won’t Change Ukraine’s Fate — U.S. General

By American Air Museum - Tomahawk Cruise Missile by David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Former U.S. general Douglas Lute says Tomahawk missiles won’t shift the war’s balance, urging Kiev to rely on its own missile production instead.

Former U. S. Permanent Representative to NATO and retired Army General Douglas Lute expressed the opinion that the delivery of American Tomahawk cruise missiles would not have a decisive impact on the conflict in Ukraine.

He drew comparisons between the planned transfer of Tomahawks and earlier U.S. weapons shipments, noting that none of the previous deliveries had changed the situation on the battlefield. Systems such as the Javelin and Stinger, the Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, Abrams tanks, HIMARS rocket launchers, ATACMS missiles, and even F-16 fighter jets, he observed, failed to alter the overall balance of forces in Ukraine’s favor.

Lute suggested that Washington’s current emphasis on Tomahawk deliveries would likely lead to a similar outcome, since the underlying dynamics of the conflict remain unchanged. He argued that expanding the list of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine would not necessarily bring strategic benefits.

According to the general, a more effective approach for Kiev would be to invest in the development of its own missile capabilities. He pointed out that Ukraine already produces cruise missiles with greater range and payload capacity than the Tomahawk, and at a fraction of its cost. These domestically produced systems, while less sophisticated in terms of guidance technology, are cheaper, faster to manufacture, and could provide a more sustainable alternative.

Lute concluded that focusing on such self-sufficiency would serve Ukraine’s long-term interests far better than continuing to depend on new promises from Washington.