Moscow – A ticking clock has been placed on US-Russia relations, with President Vladimir Putin’s warning that the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would be the trigger that brings them to a definitive end.
Putin’s threat, issued to his top military commanders, was explicit. He stated that the provision of these advanced weapons would constitute a “qualitatively new stage of escalation,” an act he claims would be impossible without direct U.S. military participation.
The consequence, he warned, would be the “destruction” of their bilateral relationship. This ultimatum dramatically raises the stakes of any future Western military aid packages and puts Washington in a difficult strategic position.
This diplomatic hardball is being played as Russia claims to be winning the conventional war. Putin announced that his forces have seized control of almost 5,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land this year, securing Moscow’s “complete strategic initiative.”
Meanwhile, the conflict has taken a clandestine turn, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing Russia of using its oil tanker fleet for espionage and sabotage, a development that further complicates an already volatile and dangerous war.