Overview

• Speaking at the Kremlin-backed Valdai Forum in Sochi, Vladimir Putin said sending Tomahawks would constitute a qualitatively new escalation and damage U.S.-Russia relations while asserting their use would require U.S. military involvement.
• Putin said Russia will reinforce air defenses to counter cruise missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers.
• He warned that Russia could strike Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure if alleged Ukrainian attacks around the occupied Zaporizhzhia plant continue.
• Media reports say the White House is considering options to provide Tomahawks to Ukraine, and reports cite Volodymyr Zelenskyy raising the request with President Donald Trump and JD Vance describing a potential sale via European partners.
• Shortly after Putin’s remarks, Russia’s civil aviation authority reported a drone alert in the Krasnodar region and Sochi and Gelendzhik airports suspended operations.