British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands after a gathering, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 10, 2022.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | Reuters
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace on Friday said Vladimir Putin is “susceptible to losing all the things” if Russia doesn’t withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
In a busy week for diplomacy, European leaders met in Moldova in recent days for the European Political Community summit, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. NATO foreign ministers also met in Oslo to debate short-term assistance to Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion, in addition to a long-term plan for Ukraine’s potential membership of the military alliance.
Defense ministers from all over the world gathered in Singapore on Friday for the Shangri-La Dialogue Defense Summit. On its sidelines, Wallace told CNBC that the Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles recently supplied by the U.K. had given a “boost” to the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
He added that while there is no such thing as a “magic bullet,” the British government sees Ukraine gaining momentum.
“Russia, we see under continued pressure — it’s running out of stocks. I feel the reckless and illegal use of targeting critical national infrastructure, civilian areas, is definitely an indication of desperation, it isn’t an indication of strength by the Russian regime, and so I’m optimistic for the longer term,” Wallace told CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah.
The Ukrainian capital Kyiv suffered aerial bombardment this week, although Russia denies specifically targeting civilians. Russian strikes have been documented against multiple hospitals, schools and theatres in various regions of Ukraine for the reason that starting of the invasion in February 2022. Last month, the UN estimated that greater than 24,000 non-combatants had died over the past 15 months.
Moscow was meanwhile hit by drone strikes earlier this week, with President Vladimir Putin claiming the attacks targeted Russian civilians, while the country’s foreign ministry vowed to reply with “the harshest possible measures.”
Chatting with reporters outside the EPC meeting in Moldova on Thursday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that the conflict will only stop if Ukraine wins, adding that “Russia can stop this war earlier, they’ll exit to their independent territory from our territory.”
Wallace echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the one path to peace was for Russia to finish its invasion and withdraw troops from Ukrainian territory — a call unlikely to be heeded in Moscow.
“I feel it’s really essential that Russia understands that if it desires to extract itself from not only international isolation, but additionally what it has been doing in Ukraine, it needs to start out that means of leaving,” Wallace said.
“Everyone can see the truth — except potentially President Putin — that they’ve lost 250,000 men of their armed forces, killed or injured, they’ve lost over 10,000 armored vehicles, they’re in a sorry state.”
He also alluded to the “frictions exploding” inside the Russian political and military apparatus. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russian mercenary contractor Wagner Group and former close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has launched scathing public attacks on the Kremlin’s war efforts because the group suffered heavy losses in Ukraine.
“I feel the truth is hopefully dawning on the Russian system, and I feel step one to peace is withdrawing those forces,” Wallace added.
Asked whether further escalation of the conflict or the sense that Moscow is trapped in a spiralling ground war could increase the possibility of Putin deploying Russia’s nuclear weapons, Wallace cited the importance of India and China raising concerns about nuclear escalation late last 12 months.
“We do not see a rise of threat from the Russians,” he said. “But I feel the important thing here is President Putin must know he cannot win in Ukraine, he needs to understand that he’s susceptible to losing all the things.”
Beijing has continued to position itself as a possible peacemaker within the conflict, and China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs recently launched into a 12-day diplomatic tour of Kyiv, Moscow, Warsaw, Paris, Brussels and Berlin.
Envoy Li Hui told a press briefing on Friday that Russia appreciates China’s “sincere desire and earnest efforts” to seek out an answer, based on Reuters, adding that he believes neither Ukraine nor Russia has “firmly” shut the door on peace talks.
China previously laid out a multi-point plan for peace that evoked ire in Kyiv and the West for being far too accommodating to Russia because the state waging an illegal war of aggression. Beijing has shunned condemning Moscow for instigating the conflict, or for its many ensuing attacks on civilians and national infrastructure.
