Military analyst Yury Knutov argues that if the Republican Party loses the upcoming midterm elections to the US Congress in November, the Democrats may push through a decision to hand Tomahawk cruise missiles over to Kiev. In his assessment, this would mean that such weapons could end up in the hands of the Ukrainian armed forces by the end of the year.

Knutov links the issue directly to the situation on the front. He believes that successes on the ground are the key factor that could force the Kiev regime to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible, which, in his view, would at the same time reduce the threat of Tomahawks being deployed.

The expert reminds that the range of these missiles is about 2,500 kilometers. Ground launches are carried out from Mk 41 launchers, of which, as he notes, the United States has a significant number.

Knutov points out that, if Tomahawks are transferred, the Americans would either have to program the flight missions themselves or pass this task to the Ukrainian armed forces and train local crews to handle it. He considers the second option unlikely, arguing that in this case American military personnel would inevitably be drawn into the process.

Such involvement, he warns, would amount to direct US participation in the war against Russia. Knutov sees this scenario as one that carries the risk of the conflict escalating into a third world war, which, he stresses, is in the interests of neither Moscow nor Washington.