The Pentagon has authorized the potential transfer of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, pending final approval from President Donald Trump, according to a report by CNN. This move could help fulfill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for additional military support amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The Hill has reached out to both the White House and the Pentagon for further confirmation. The Department of Defense’s decision is reportedly based on an evaluation that supplying Tomahawks would not significantly deplete U.S. military reserves.

Earlier this month, the Joint Staff provided the White House with an assessment indicating that European allies saw minimal reasons for the U.S. to withhold the missiles from Ukraine. Despite this, President Trump expressed hesitation about supplying the weaponry, as confirmed by two European officials in conversations with CNN.

“We’re talking about substantial quantities of extremely powerful weapons, so it’s not an easy decision,” President Trump remarked ahead of his meeting with President Zelensky at the White House on October 17.

According to CNN’s report, President Trump has, for the moment, declined to approve the provision of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

The following week, Zelensky emphasized his discussion with Trump about the missiles as “a major investment in diplomacy — we forced Russia to reveal that Tomahawks are precisely the card they take seriously.”

Zelensky has argued that not being given the Tomahawk missiles deflated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interest in diplomacy with Ukraine.

“The front line can spark diplomacy. Instead, Russia continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy, and as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us — for Ukraine — became less immediate, Russia’s interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically,” Zelensky said during a daily video address earlier this month. “This signals that this very issue — the issue of our deep strike capabilities — may hold the indispensable key to peace.” 

The missiles are built to travel at high, subsonic speeds and low heights to better dodge radars, providing Ukraine with a lot more capability and range to target Russian military outposts and energy facilities deep inside the country, military experts previously told The Hill. 

Russia has warned the U.S. against sending the missiles to Ukraine, arguing it would represent a major escalation. The Kremlin is currently using self-produced missiles in addition to missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran.