WASHINGTON, October 17. /TASS/. Supplies of US Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev, if Washington decides to approve them, would not change the course of the conflict in Ukraine, a European diplomat told The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, commenting on the ongoing debate in the United States over the possible transfer of Tomahawks to Ukraine.

According to the diplomat, while such a move would send a strong political signal to Moscow, it would not be decisive militarily.

A senior NATO official offered a similar assessment, saying that Kiev would gain additional firepower if the missiles were delivered, but described them as merely a supplement to Ukraine’s existing capabilities.

The Washington Post also cited "some European officials" as saying that the potential delivery of Tomahawks would be "more symbolic than practical," representing an additional gesture of Western support for Kiev rather than a game-changing step on the battlefield.

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky is expected to take place at the White House in the coming hours. Trump previously said that Zelensky planned to ask him for Tomahawk missiles.

On October 12, Trump noted that before making a final decision, he would likely discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, on October 6, he hinted that he had effectively made his decision on the matter but declined to reveal it. Following his October 16 phone conversation with Putin, Trump said the United States should not deplete its own Tomahawk stockpiles by transferring them to Ukraine.

Putin, for his part, warned that it is impossible to operate Tomahawk missiles without the direct involvement of US military personnel, saying such a move would mark "a completely new stage of escalation," including in Russia-US relations. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that if Tomahawks are supplied to Kiev, Moscow will respond accordingly.