British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has played down fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin might order the use of nuclear weapons to avoid defeat in Ukraine.
He dismissed the idea that Putin will feel under pressure to escalate the conflict further, arguing that the Russian leader has the “political margin for manoeuvre” to back down.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said NATO is engaging in a proxy war with Russia and “pouring oil on the fire” by providing increasingly powerful weaponry to the Ukrainians.
Talking to state television on April 25, he warned that the risk of nuclear conflict is “considerable” now and “should not be underestimated.”
But Johnson said Putin has enough “political space” to claim victory—despite the reality on the battlefield—and back down.
“Given the massive Russian backing for what he is doing, given the apparent obliviousness of the Russian media about what is really happening in Ukraine, the paradox is that Putin has far more political space to back down, to withdraw,” the prime minister said in an interview with TalkTV on Tuesday.
He said Putin could just tell the Russian people: “The military technical operation we launched in Ukraine has been accomplished, it has been technically a success.”
Johnson added: “I think he has far more political space than people worry about. People say we have to make a concession, we have to worry about what Putin might do because of the risk of his defeat. I think he has got a lot of space, he has got a lot of room for manoeuvre.”
While the prime minister insisted he did not want the crisis to escalate beyond Ukraine’s borders, he indicated he was happy to see the Ukrainians use British-made weaponry to strike targets in Russia.
“They are being attacked from within Russian territory. They have a right to protect and defend themselves,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said it is important not to be “distracted” by Russian threats.
She told the House of Commons that the Putin regime is making nuclear threats “because they are not succeeding in Ukraine.”
“It’s very, very important that we focus on continuing to support the Ukrainians in their fight for their freedom and self-determination, and we’re not distracted and we’re not put off our course by these threats from the Russian regime,” she added.
Truss said the UK is working on a joint commission with Poland to ensure Ukraine can defend itself in the “longer term,” including with NATO-standard weapons.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said Britain would providing the Ukrainians with longer-range Brimstone ground attack missiles “in the next few weeks.”
