WASHINGTON, DC – Senior US military experts are urging President Donald Trump to leverage the threat of deep-strike military aid for Kyiv and aggressive new tariffs on Russia’s trade partners to compel Russian President Vladimir Putin into serious peace negotiations over Ukraine.
The consensus emerged from a panel of defense analysts, hosted at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) on Tuesday in Washington.
Analysts underscored their belief that Putin will not cease the war until he faces irresistible external pressure, warning that Russia’s commitment to the war effort – which now consumes 40% of its government budget – is absolute.
“I think Putin is clearly the critical variable in any resolution of the war,” asserted Andy Bain, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and executive director of the Ukraine Freedom Fund.
He added that the Russian leader is “going to keep going until he sees pressure from the other areas as well.”
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Charles Corcoran, former assistant deputy chief of staff for US Air Force Operations, concurred, stating plainly: “This is about Putin. It’s about compelling Putin to come to the table.”
Tomahawk ultimatum: long-range strike capability
A central theme of the call for increased pressure involves providing long-range strike capabilities to Kyiv.
Long-range weapons were discussed in the context of increasing pressure on Russian logistics. The experts noted that a potential deal for major deep-strike systems, such as the widely discussed Tomahawk cruise missiles, would be essential to shifting the dynamic.
In the immediate term, the panelists advocated for the swift provision of precision-guided munitions capable of deep strikes.
They also cited the need for systems like ERAM and APKWS for use on F-16 fighter jets to sustain consistent pressure on Russian forces.
Targeting Russia’s war chest via China
Crucially, the experts were unequivocal on the need to cut the economic lifeline funding Russia’s military machine, which they identified as the trade of discounted Russian fossil fuels.
Mark Montgomery, a retired US Navy rear admiral and senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the FDD, called for immediate, severe action targeting intermediaries.
He argued for a “100% tariff on China, India and Turkey for taking shadow fleet fossil fuels.”
Montgomery noted that if the money coming into the Russian treasury is decreased, the funding for the war effort will likewise shrink, which “could have a significant impact.”
Battlefield challenges and Russian adaptation
The call for escalation comes as analysts warn that the military situation on the battlefield is increasingly challenging for Kyiv due to Russian technical improvements.
Montgomery cited evidence that Russia is “getting better at technological warfare,” specifically detailing the use of “fiber-optic-enabled drones.”
This innovation, he noted, is stretching Ukrainian air defense and electronic warfare systems across the front line and pushing Ukrainian reserve forces further from the contact line.
Zelensky’s diplomatic role
Ahead of President Zelensky’s upcoming White House visit, the panel offered blunt advice for securing critical support from Washington.
They suggested Zelensky must adopt a strategy of careful diplomacy to align with Trump’s stated goals.
The Ukrainian leader “needs to be deferential and also play into what the [US] President thinks about Ukraine, and how best to work with him on that,” Bain advised.
While a new weapons deal is expected from the meeting, the experts cautioned that it “won’t solve the war,” reiterating that only sustained economic and military pressure will ultimately compel Putin to yield.
The need for Ukrainian elections was also raised. A panelist asserted that while elections are necessary given the parliament has been in power since 2019, they must occur on a “Ukrainian constitutional basis, not Vladimir Putin’s whim.”