‘Crocodile’ Putin making ‘palpable progress’ in eastern Ukraine, warns Boris Johnson

Prime minister urges West to keep supply of high-tech weapons flowing to Volodymyr Zelensky

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Boris Johnson has struck a gloomy note on the war in Ukraine, warning that Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is making “palpable progress” in his bid to seize the eastern Donbas region.

The prime minister said western states should not be “lulled” by early Ukrainian successes around capital Kyiv into thinking the threat from Russia had been overcome.

He said it was “absolutely vital” for countries like the UK to keep supporting Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration by sending military supplies.

“I think it’s very, very important that we do not get lulled, because of the incredible heroism of the Ukrainians in pushing the Russians back from the gates of Kyiv,” Mr Johnson told Bloomberg TV. “I’m afraid that Putin – at great cost to himself and to the Russian military – is continuing to chew through ground in Donbas. He’s continuing to make gradual, slow, but I’m afraid palpable progress.”

Mr Johnson added that the west should send Ukraine more offensive weapons such as multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) that can strike targets from much further away.

And he played down the prospect of meaningful peace talks with Putin. “How can you deal with a crocodile when it’s in the middle of eating your left leg? The guy’s completely not to be trusted,” he said.