Britain, US differ on Putin winning Ukrainian war

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted Russia has a “realistic possibility” of winning the war in Ukraine, calling the situation there “unpredictable” at the moment.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Johnson said Russian President Vladimir Putin has a “huge army,” but added:

“He has a very difficult political position because he’s made a catastrophic blunder. The only option he now has really is to try to continue to use his appalling, grinding approach led by artillery, trying to grind the Ukrainians down,” he said on Friday.

“He’s very close to securing a land bridge in Mariupol now. The situation is, I’m afraid, unpredictable at this stage. We just have to be realistic about that.”

But US President Joe Biden believes Putin has made any territorial gain in Ukraine. He dismissed Putin’s claim Mariupol has been liberated.

However, Johnson said Britain is now looking to send “backfill” equipment to countries such as Poland, which may send “heavier weaponry” to support Ukraine’s resistance.

“We’re looking at sending tanks to Poland to help as they send some of their T-72s to Ukraine,” Johnson announced, adding that Britain is looking at other options such as “anti-ship defenses.”

“We’ve got to look at what more we can do militarily, we’ve got to keep intensifying the economic sanctions … and we’ve also got to set out a vision for the future of Ukraine in the security architecture of Europe,” he said.