(MENAFN- UkrinForm) He said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to Ritter, the administration is demonstrating a change in direction and understands that Putin is waging war to boost his own popularity.

"But sanctions alone will not do the trick. He [Putin] will fight to the last Russian if he has to stay in power," Ritter said.

He noted that sanctions alone will not work, though they can contribute to pressure.

"The other critical element of pressure is military," he said, referring to reports that the U.S. may allow strikes deep inside Russian territory with American weapons.

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"Unless the cost of the war to Russia itself - in terms of blowing up every military target and every economic facility related to the military - becomes unbearable, the pressure will not be enough. He [Putin] can't afford to stop with such a small gain and such a fantastic cost to the Russian people," Ritter said.

He questioned "how efficient, productive, and politically acceptable" the route of supplying weapons to Ukraine through third-party sales is.

"But it's not a done deal when the transfer has to go through third parties," he added.

Ritter described the situation regarding Tomahawk missiles as an attempt "to get Putin to come around to something other than where he's been."

"When that failed, the threat wasn't real, so it disappeared - for the time being. But as time marches on, and he continues to bomb hospitals, kindergartens, and civilian targets of all kinds - in addition to the energy infrastructure to freeze Ukrainians this winter - I think the direction of the administration is toward providing, one way or another, further major support to Ukraine," he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said that Ukraine was already in talks with European countries that possess long-range weapons about potential deliveries.

Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States has many Tomahawk missiles and did not rule out providing them to Ukraine. However, after a phone call with Putin, the U.S. president changed his position.

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