Hegseth tells NATO Ukraine 'firepower' is coming amid Tomahawk missiles speculation

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised Wednesday that "firepower" was coming for Ukraine amid speculation that Washington could hand Kyiv long-range Tomahawk missiles to pressure Russia to end the war.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised Wednesday that "firepower" was coming for Ukraine amid speculation that Washington could hand Kyiv long-range Tomahawk missiles to pressure Russia to end the war.

Speaking ahead of a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, Hegseth said members of the alliance have stepped up their commitments to Ukraine and those commitments “will soon translate into capabilities,” partly through an initiative by which NATO countries buy U.S. weapons and supply them to Kyiv.

Rescuers work to extinguish a fire caused by a Russian glide bomb at a hospital in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Monday.Viacheslav Madiievskyi / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has been considering giving Ukraine the American-made Tomahawk missiles, which could be used to strike deep into Russia — something the Kremlin said would signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation.”

It was not clear if Tomahawks were part of the “firepower” promised by Hegseth on Wednesday.

The Kremlin has warned that Western weapons raise the risk of widening the war.