Russia has threatened to declare nuclear war against the United States and Britain if Washington provides Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. The warning comes as Donald Trump has authorised enhanced intelligence sharing to help Ukraine target Russian energy infrastructure with precision strikes.
Military analyst Colonel Igor Korotchenko claimed that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would constitute "casus belli" under international law. He warned that such strikes would require US or British military involvement, automatically bringing those nations into direct conflict with Russia.
Nuclear escalation warnings
Korotchenko told Russian media that Moscow would respond with its "entire arsenal of conventional and nuclear weapons" if the threat materialises. The military expert argued that Russia would not distinguish between nuclear and conventional Tomahawk missiles launched from Ukrainian territory.
"We will have neither the time nor the opportunity, nor the desire to ask ourselves questions such as: which Tomahawk, nuclear or conventional, was launched from Ukrainian territory at targets in Russia," he stated. The Tomahawk cruise missile has a range of approximately 1,500 miles, sufficient to reach Moscow from Ukraine.
Trump policy shift
The intelligence authorisation represents Trump's first major policy change regarding Ukraine since taking a harder stance toward Russia. Only the Daily Mail reports that Keith Kellogg confirmed Trump indicated Ukraine should conduct long-range strikes on Russia.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov questioned who would actually launch such missiles, asking whether only Ukrainians could operate them or if American military personnel would be required. He demanded "very thorough analysis" of the targeting arrangements.
Ongoing conflict escalation
Russia staged massive overnight strikes across Ukraine, hitting residential areas in multiple regions including Bucha near Kyiv. The attacks targeted a disused sanatorium in the district where hundreds were previously tortured and executed by Russian forces.
Ukrainian Deputy Premier Oleksiy Kuleba described it as "another difficult night" with strikes on "peaceful settlements." He warned that Russia continues attempting to destroy Ukraine's infrastructure foundations, including railways, roads and energy systems.
The escalation follows Putin's rejection of Trump's earlier peace initiatives, prompting the shift toward supporting Ukrainian long-range capabilities against Russian targets.
Sources used: "Express", "Daily Mail", "Mirror" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
