If we supply tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, President Putin warns of escalation

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the potential supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine marks a “completely new phase of escalation” between Washington and Moscow.

Speaking at a forum at Russia’s Black Sea Resort in Sochi on Thursday, President Putin admitted that supply of “strong” US Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev poses a threat to Russia, but will not change the situation on the battlefield.

According to an NBC translation, Putin said, “Can the Tomahawks do harm to us?

“It is impossible to use the Tomahawks without the direct participation of American servicemen. This will mark a qualitative new stage of escalation between Russia and the United States,” he added.

His comments come shortly after it was reported that the US would provide Ukraine with intelligence regarding its targets of long-distance energy infrastructure deep within Russia.

The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s administration approved sharing of intelligence news with Ukraine and are considering whether to send the Tomahawk cruise missile to Kiev, citing an unknown US official.

CNBC contacted the White House for comment.

The supply of Tomahawk Cruise missiles, known to have a range of at least 1,500 miles (approximately 2,400 km), greatly enhances Ukraine’s ability to attack Russian targets.

Asked about Trump’s recent characterization of Russia as a “paper tiger,” Putin said the Russian military “confidently holds a ‘strategic initiative’ and is profiting in Ukraine.

“But if we’re fighting the entire NATO block and moving forward with confidence, it’s a paper tiger. What is NATO itself? What does it represent?” Putin said.

Paper Tiger is a term that refers to forces that usually appear to be strong but ineffective.

The US president said last month that in a massive rhetorical change, Ukraine could seize the territory captured by Russia.

In a social media post released on September 23, Trump said his view came about after “knowing and fully understanding” the military and economic situation in Russia and Ukraine, pointing to what he described as an “economic problem” caused by the conflict in Moscow.

The US President has previously suggested that Ukraine needs to be open to abandoning some of its territory in peace talks.

Meanwhile, Russia is poised to raise taxes on businesses and consumers as the government is looking for ways to support a war-centric economy after more than three and a half years of conflict.

European Union political leaders on Wednesday supported plans for the so-called drone wall on the eastern side of the region, and tried to bolster their defenses and repel Russia following a series of airspace invasions over recent weeks.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has yet to develop a plan on how the project is funded and operated, but defense giants have welcomed the concept.

Putin said Thursday that the Kremlin was “closely monitoring” what he described as “growth in militarization in Europe.”

Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania – members of the EU and NATO in the northern and eastern European countries near Russia – have recently reported invasions of airspace that are said to include Russian jets and drones.

Meanwhile, Germnany, Denmark and Norway have also reported unclear drones in recent airspace, with the incident causing significant disruption to airports and air traffic.

Russia has previously denied the drone’s provocation against its European neighbors, describing it as a “bassed accusation.”

– Holly Ellyatt of CNBC contributed to this report.