FIRST ON FOX: As intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues on the eastern frontline in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions, a senior Ukrainian commander involved in the fighting there has appealed to the Trump administration for Tomahawk missiles.
“This war is the biggest war in the world since World War II,” Major Shyriaiev said. Ukraine’s struggle, he emphasized, is not just to free itself from Russian aggression.
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Major Oleh Shyriaiev received an award from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Oleh Shyriaev)
Moscow has tried to keep Ukraine within its sphere of influence since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. As it fends off the Russian invasion, Ukraine is trying to realize its 30-year hope of achieving full independence from Moscow’s grip.
“For the past three hundred years, our confrontation, that is, the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, has been our opportunity to gain independence. And I am sure that we will win this war,” Shyriaiev said.
Ukrainian soldiers walk on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (Felipe Dana / AP Photo)
American Tomahawk long-range missiles would be a useful option for Ukrainian forces to halt Russian advances and gain a better bargaining position to negotiate an end to the war.
President Trump at one point hinted that he might send Ukraine long-range missiles.
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“If this war isn’t settled, I might send in Tomahawks,” Trump said in October when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House.
In a reversal of this sentiment, the president backed down and told reporters aboard Air Force One on November 2 that the US would not send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for the time being.
Tomahawks have a range of about 2,550 kilometers, far enough to hit Russian territory. The subsonic long-range cruise missiles are used to penetrate deep into enemy territory and are launched from US Navy surface ships and US Navy submarines. Ukraine would need ground-based launchers due to its war efforts and lack of naval launchers.
In a file photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided missile destroyer USS Barry launches a Tomahawk cruise missile from their location in the Mediterranean Sea in support of U.S. forces supporting the international response to the unrest in Libya. (US Navy, MC3 Jonathan Sunderman/AP)
Until now, during the Biden administration, in the more than three years of war, the US feared that sending offensive weapons would be seen as an escalatory move by Putin. The Russian president even recently warned President Trump in a telephone conversation against sending such weapons.
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Even if the US does not supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, Major Shyriaiev is resolute in the Ukrainian military’s ability to fend off the Russians.
“I am confident that our armed forces will continue to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty, regardless of the type and number of weapons we receive. While I believe that Ukraine would benefit greatly from the distribution of Tomahawk missiles, given the proven precision capability of these weapons, we know that there is a lot going on at the political level, and we will defend our nation with all the means at our disposal,” Shyriaiev said.
Ukrainian soldier leaves the DS3 artillery cabin as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, toward Niu York, Ukraine, March 5, 2025. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images.)
Shyriaiev is holed up in Sumy, a strategically important oblast bordering Russia, and has been the focus of Ukrainian counter-offensives this fall.
While Russia continues to make steady but slow progress on the battlefield, Ukraine has halted Russia’s advance in Sumy. Reclaiming territory Russia holds in Sumy will strengthen Ukraine’s position in any negotiations to end the war, a top priority for President Trump.
Shyriaiev described Russian tactics on the front lines as meat attacks, where he has enough manpower to overwhelm Ukraine’s much smaller forces, equating the method of throwing Russian soldiers into a meat grinder, and some successes are being achieved.
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Even if Russia manages to take Pokrovsk, the major stressed that Russia will suffer heavy losses along the way.
“Any larger city or smaller city will be a serious battle to fight, and the Russians will lose a lot of manpower here in Pokrovsk. So Pokrovsk is one of those places where they will lose a lot of troops and their fighting ability will suffer seriously, Shyriaiev said.
