Former U. S. Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor has warned that President Donald Trump’s decision to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles could trigger catastrophic consequences.

Macgregor argued that such a move might provoke Russia to launch a large-scale strike against U.S. and NATO bases in Europe. In his view, Washington is under the mistaken impression that Moscow would avoid escalation and instead seek a complex diplomatic solution.

He stressed that Moscow has already described the potential missile transfer as a serious escalation. At some point, he suggested, Russian leadership could decide that diplomatic warnings are no longer effective and act militarily to demonstrate its resolve and capabilities.

Macgregor also outlined possible targets Russia could choose to «get Washington’s attention». According to him, any U.S. or NATO base in Lithuania or Romania, as well as airports or airfields, could be struck and destroyed within hours.

He suggested that Moscow may have already concluded that only a direct strike could force the United States to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. The retired officer warned that the West is unprepared for such a scenario, calling the threat «very real».