Kathrine Frich
American media say the discussion influenced the decision to cancel a planned shipment of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
In wars shaped by shifting alliances and confidential diplomacy, weapons transfers often depend as much on political conversations as battlefield needs.
A newly reported exchange between a senior adviser to Vladimir Putin and the US president’s special envoy now sheds light on one such turning point.
Behind closed doors
According to Bloomberg, the transcript covers a five-minute conversation on 14 October between Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Yuri Ushakov, a top foreign policy adviser in the Kremlin.
The call took place amid rising tensions and reports that the United States was preparing to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.
Sources told US outlets that Witkoff advised Ushakov to encourage Putin to phone Trump before his upcoming meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 18 October.
Witkoff is said to have suggested that Putin congratulate Trump on the Gaza peace agreement and refer to the US president as a “man of peace.”
Shift in washington
Following the Russian president’s call, Trump abandoned the plan to reinforce Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, Bloomberg reported.
During that exchange, Putin reportedly argued that the missiles would not alter the balance on the battlefield but would cause “serious damage” to US-Russian relations.
The transcript indicates that Moscow also floated the idea of presenting a “peace plan” for Ukraine ahead of Trump’s meeting with Zelensky.
Analysts say the timing suggests the Kremlin viewed the call as an opportunity to shape Washington’s course.
Military reality
Putin’s suggestion that Tomahawks would be ineffective is disputed by defence specialists.
The cruise missiles were used against Russian-backed forces and air-defence assets in Syria in 2017 and 2018, demonstrating their capacity to penetrate fortified environments.
Experts told US media that the system would have provided Ukraine with a considerable upgrade compared with domestically produced long-range capabilities.
The decision not to proceed, they argue, limited Kyiv’s ability to strike Russian logistics and command sites far behind the front line.
The missile in question
The Tomahawk is a 6.3-metre-long cruise missile weighing around 1,600 kilograms, including a 450-kilogram warhead.
Its estimated range is between 1,500 and 2,000 kilometres, though exact specifications remain classified.
Travelling at subsonic speeds near 880 km/h, it flies at low altitude and can manoeuvre around air-defence networks, making detection and interception difficult.
Sources: Bloomberg, WP.
