ISTANBUL 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a potential delivery of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would “destroy” relations between Moscow and Washington.

“This will lead to the destruction of our relationship. Or at least the emerging positive trends in this relationship. So I'm saying what I think. And how things turn out depends not only on us,” Putin said in an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, a part of which was shared on his Telegram.

Earlier, in an address to the 22nd annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in the resort city of Sochi on Thursday, Putin said such deliveries to Kyiv “will not change the balance on the battlefield in any way.”

The Russian president argued that the use of Tomahawk cruise missiles without the direct participation of American military personnel is “impossible,” and would mark a “completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation,” including in Russia-US ties.

The Kremlin has also said that Russia will respond to the potential transfer of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine by the US “in an appropriate manner.” The missile has a range of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles).

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Axios news website that he asked US President Donald Trump for Tomahawk missiles during a meeting on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Just days later, US Vice President JD Vance confirmed Washington is considering the request and that Trump would be making "the final determination" on the issue.