The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: Tomahawks, Trump, and Armed Neutrality for Ukraine
Oct 21, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Eric Ciaramella, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Mykhailo Soldatenko, a Harvard Law scholar, dive into critical topics surrounding Ukraine's defense strategies. They explore the implications of U.S. tomahawk missile debates and the potential for armed neutrality as a negotiating tool for Ukraine. The duo also examines Trump's evolving rhetoric on Russia and how it complicates diplomatic relations, offering a nuanced perspective on the ongoing conflict and the road to peace.
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Russia Prepared To Pay Heavy Costs
- Russia is willing to incur significant costs to achieve its objectives and may keep fighting rather than negotiate.
- Treating Putin as eager for a quick deal is credulous and risks failed diplomacy.
Tomahawks As Leverage, Not Just Weapons
- Tomahawk requests resurfaced as leverage to push Russia back to talks rather than as a purely military move.
- U.S. concerns included limited stocks, cost, and escalation risks.
Emotional White House Meeting And No Tomahawks
- The Trump–Zelensky meeting became emotional and unproductive, with raised voices and disagreement.
- After the meeting, Trump declined to provide Tomahawks and urged both sides to stop fighting where they are.