The Tomahawk cruise missile has been in the U.S. military's inventory since the 1980s. While slow by missile standards, the cruise missile flies around 100 feet (about 30 meters) off the ground, making it harder to detect by defense systems. The missile also boasts an impressive range of around 1,000 miles and precision guidance systems that make it the go-to weapon for striking targets that are deep inland or in hostile territory. President Donald Trump has hinted that he might give Tomahawks to Ukraine, which could make a key difference for Kyiv in its war with Moscow. While the United States launched Tomahawk missiles almost exclusively from ships or submarines, Ukraine doesn't possess a Navy with ships capable of carrying the 20-foot-long missile.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces have launched powerful glide bombs and drones against Kharkiv and hit a hospital. Officials said that the attack on Ukraine's second-largest city wounded seven people and forced the evacuation of 50 patients at the hospital. Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the main targets were energy facilities. The assault is part of Russia's ongoing campaign to disable Ukraine's power supply. Zelenskyy is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday to seek more American military support including air defense systems. Trump has warned Moscow he may send Tomahawk cruise missiles for use by Ukraine. That could escalate tensions but also push Moscow toward negotiations.
The Atlantic has released the Signal chat among Trump senior national security officials. It shows that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact times of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemen's Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne. The disclosure follows two intense days during which Trump's senior most Cabinet members of his intelligence and defense agencies have struggled to explain how details that current and former U.S. officials have said would have been classified wound up on an unclassified Signal chat. That chat included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
