US Army General and former CIA Director David Petraeus reveal two key actions that could force Russia to step back

 When Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he and his advisors didn’t understand they were beginning the largest conflict in the world since the end of the Second World War. Ending that conflict has proven difficult.

How can the West force Russia to end the war? 

US President Donald Trump has been trying to force Ukraine and Russia to end the war through diplomacy. However, Washington’s efforts thus far haven’t yielded any progress in bringing the nearly four-year conflict to a conclusion. But peace is possible, and two bold moves could be the key.

 According to US Army General and former CIA Director David Petraeus, ending the war in Ukraine can be done in two simple moves, which he outlined during an interview with the Italian-language newspaper Corriere Della Sera published in early December. 

General Petraeus assessed that the problem with peace is that it relies more on Russia and Moscow’s willingness to make concessions than it does on Ukraine, at least when it comes to the recent peace proposals put forth by the Trump administration. 

There is still a lot the world doesn’t know

The recent 28-point peace plan proposed by Washington that made news headlines for being too pro-Russian has been trimmed down to 19 points following negotiations with Ukraine. However, General Petraeus noted there was still much we didn’t know. 

“We don't have great visibility on what the Russians might be willing to accept,” General Petraeus said, “To date, they have always held to quite maximalist demands, which include replacement of President Zelensky by a pro-Russian figure and the degree of demilitarization and disarmament by Ukraine.”

Another issue that General Petraeus sees as a major problem is the situation regarding land in the southeastern portion of Ukraine known as the Donbas. Moscow has demanded Kyiv cede a key unconquered land in Donetsk Oblast to Russia, which is a major obstacle to peace. 

Russia wants territory it can’t conquer

General Petraeus noted the territory Russia wants “includes what are called the fortified cities of the southeast that are very, very heavily defended and would be very difficult for Russia to take.” This problem is something the former CIA Director thinks will be what President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss in the future. 

“Then the question also is we just don't know yet, what promises, what ironclad promises will they make to Ukraine, both to ensure deterrence of future Russian aggression, and then also what promises to punish Russia if it resumes aggression,” General Petraeus added. 

There are ways to force Russia to end the war

However, even if the territorial issues are sorted out, Moscow might still not come to the bargaining table. According to General Petraeus, there are two moves that Washington and Kyiv’s Western partners could make that could compel Russia to finally end the war. 

First, helping Ukraine do better on the battlefield and in defending its skies could force Russia to pursue peace. In that regard, General Petraeus suggested that Europe could finally release roughly $200-250 billion in frozen Russian funds to Kyiv. 

“It could be given to Ukraine to enable them to do better, much better again, along with other weapon systems, munitions, ammunition, and so forth — including that which they can't produce themselves for anti-ballistic missile defense and Patriots,” General Petraeus noted

General Petraeus added that Ukraine could “also double their drone production with this kind of funding from 3.5 million to 7 million per year. And of course, it would enable them to resolve their fiscal and economic challenges for a good two or three years.”

Crushing the Russian economy

The second move that could help force Moscow to make peace “would be to crush the Russian war economy with further sanctions,” according to General Petraeus. He also noted that the Russian economy was in a far worse position than it currently seems. 

“The Russian economy is more fragile than I think a lot of people recognize, given that its national welfare fund is expected to run out next year, and that's the fund that has been diverted from social welfare to enabling the continued military — industrial production of Russia,” General Petraeus explained. 

However, crippling the Russian economy through more sanctions isn’t enough. General Petraeus stated that the United States and Ukraine's Western allies also needed to target those who were enabling Moscow, primarily those countries buying Russian oil and gas. 

“That's already happening: India's already reducing, China's already reducing the purchase of this - and then also those who enable the Russian war economy in terms of chips, magnets, brushless motors, you name it, and most of that coming from China to Russia,” General Petraeus said. 

“If both of these sets of actions were carried out, I think actually, Vladimir Putin would be compelled to seek a cessation of hostilities, because he just could not continue the war,” General Petraeus explained. Whether this plan could work has yet to be seen, but as the general pointed out, some of these actions are already being taken.