Military expert Vladislav Shurygin outlined what he described as the next stage of the Western and Ukrainian strategy in their confrontation with Russia.

He said the situation is serious and that, in his view, President Zelensky has no other choice but to escalate. According to Shurygin, the West is preparing a large-scale operation aimed at finally drawing U. S. President Donald Trump into a direct conflict with Russia.

The expert noted that Zelensky is expected to visit the White House again on Friday. The agenda of the talks, he said, is already known — the possible transfer of Tomahawk missiles and permission from the United States to strike deep inside Russian territory.

Shurygin stated that even if Ukraine does not receive the Tomahawks but gets approval for such strikes, that would mark the beginning of the most critical phase. He added that the talk about Tomahawks would serve only as a cover, while the real goal would be to ensure that at every level it appears that the U.S. president personally authorized these attacks.

He recalled that the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) recently briefed Zelensky on the next stage of the war against Russia. Following that report, Zelensky announced preparations for a powerful strike. Shurygin said Ukraine will likely attempt a kind of «Day D» — repeating the Kursk scenario, but in the air — launching everything it has at once against Russia, supplemented by sabotage groups operating in the same manner as earlier attacks on Russian strategic airfields. The goal, he explained, would be to push Russia into breaking all remaining contacts with the United States and to prolong the conflict indefinitely.

According to Shurygin, Ukraine sees potential benefits in such an escalation. In this case, he said, Kyiv would immediately shed the image of a side that has shown no success at the front. Having been pushed out of Kursk and unable to form reserves strong enough to break through the front lines, Ukraine, in his assessment, would view a massive air assault as a way to «equalize the balance» — at least in terms of propaganda.

Shurygin added that in this scenario, both Kyiv and the West expect Russia to find itself in a military stalemate and begin seeking a mediator for peace talks. That mediator, he said, would inevitably be Trump, who would enter the process «in full power and glory» and start dictating his own terms to Russia. Given Trump’s experience in Gaza, Shurygin concluded, he believes that the U.S. president is convinced he can resolve any issue from a position of strength. The key turning point, according to him, would be Trump’s decision to authorize Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.