Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, cautioned U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday that delivering Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine might have serious consequences for him.
Medvedev, who was Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, implied that Russia could consider a nuclear response if Ukraine were to receive and launch these long-range missiles at Russian targets.
“The provision of these missiles could lead to disastrous outcomes, primarily for Trump,” Medvedev stated in a Telegram post following Trump’s reiteration of a threat to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine unless Russia agrees to halt the conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later supported Medvedev’s statements, asserting that supplying these weapons to Ukraine heightens the risk of escalation, as U.S. specialists would likely need to assist Ukraine in targeting operations against Russia.
“Anyone with a fundamental understanding of the situation knows that American experts would be involved in managing such missiles,” Peskov told journalists.
On Sunday, Trump indicated that he might contemplate sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Russia persisted in its military actions, suggesting he would personally caution Russian President Vladimir Putin should he decide to supply the weapons.
“Tomahawks represent a new level of aggression,” he remarked to reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump mentioned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had requested the long-range missiles during a phone conversation about arms supplies just the day before.
Last week, Putin warned that Russia would enhance its air defense capabilities if the U.S. moves forward with supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine. He also mocked Zelensky, calling him a “show-off” for threatening to deploy the missiles against targets in Russia.
