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The United States will provide Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure, American officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday, as the Trump administration considers sending Kyiv powerful weapons, including Tomahawk missiles that could reach targets 1,550 miles inside Russia.
U.S. President Trump recently signed off on allowing U.S. intelligence agencies and the Pentagon to aid Kyiv with strikes deep inside Russian territory, marking the first known policy change since he hardened his rhetoric toward Russia in recent weeks. U.S. officials are asking North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to provide similar support.
The expanded intelligence-sharing represents the first time the Trump administration will aid Ukrainian strikes with long-range missiles against energy targets deep inside Russian territory, officials said.
The administration is weighing deliveries of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Barracudas, and other American-made ground- and air-launched missiles with ranges of around 500 miles, administration officials said. No decision has been made on what to send.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed last week that he requested Tomahawks from Trump. U.S. Vice President JD Vance, speaking on Sunday to Fox News, stated that the U.S. was considering Ukraine's request.
The administration recently approved the sale to Ukraine of Extended Range Attack Munitions, an air-launched missile that can travel between 150 and 280 miles.
Tomahawk cruise missiles, one of the most precise U.S. weapons, have a range of around 1,500 miles.
The intelligence will enable Ukraine to better hit refineries, pipelines, power stations and other infrastructure far from its borders, with the goal of depriving the Kremlin of revenue and oil to sustain its invasion, officials said.
"The intelligence, combined with more powerful weapons, could have a far more potent effect than Ukraine's previous strikes in Russia, causing greater damage to its energy infrastructure and tying up Russian air defenses," according to U.S. officials speaking to WSJ.
U.S. officials are awaiting written guidance from the White House before sharing the necessary intelligence, one official said.
The approval came shortly before Trump vented frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a social media post last week, suggesting Ukraine could recover all seized territory.
"After seeing the Economic trouble (the war) is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
During a speech to the United Nations last week, Trump said, "Everyone thought Russia would win this war in three days, but it didn't work out that way. It was supposed to be just a quick little skirmish. It's not making Russia look good."
The Trump administration has limited Ukraine's use of the most powerful weapons and intelligence sharing. The administration stopped new deliveries of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and imposed a review process for each use request.
That veto has prevented Kyiv from launching U.S.-supplied ATACMS, which have a range of about 190 miles, into Russia since late spring. On at least one occasion, Ukraine's request to use the missiles against a target on Russian territory was rejected.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently stated that Moscow is carefully analyzing U.S. statements regarding the delivery of Tomahawks to Ukraine.
"The question remains: Who can launch these missiles, even if they end up on Kyiv regime territory?" Peskov said, adding, "Can only Ukrainians launch them, or will the American military do so? Who is assigning the targeting to these missiles? This requires a very thorough analysis."
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