Vladimir Putin has already lost the war in Ukraine, says Joe Biden
Joe Biden insists Russia has ‘already lost the war’ in Ukraine and that there is no ‘real prospect’ of Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons in the conflict.
Joe Biden insists Russia has “already lost the war” in Ukraine and that there is no “real prospect” of Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons in the conflict, partly because of the influence of China.
The US President suggested also that it was only a matter of time before Mr Putin came to the negotiating table; an unspoken admission that Ukraine would not be able to liberate all its territory before talks on a settlement.
Mr Biden was speaking in Helsinki with the leader of Finland, NATO’s newest member, at the end of a European visit during which the alliance overcame Turkish resistance to agree to admit Sweden, cementing a wider geopolitical defeat for Russia.
Finland’s decision to join NATO broke with seven decades of military non-alignment and doubled the length of the border NATO shares with Russia.
Mr Biden rejected suggestions Mr Putin was given an incentive to prolong hostilities by NATO’s decision – largely at his insistence – that Ukraine would receive a timetable for entry only once the war with Russia was over. “No one can join NATO while a war is going on … because that guarantees that we’re in a third world war,” he said. “It is not about whether or not they should or shouldn’t join. It’s about when they can join. And they will join NATO.
“The issue of whether or not this is going to keep Putin from continuing to fight? The answer is, Putin has already lost the war.”
Despite the appearance of stalemate on the battlefield, with Ukraine struggling to breach entrenched Russian forces occupying 20 per cent of its territory, Mr Biden insisted Mr Putin was only looking for a way out after failing to make the rapid gains he wanted, with huge pressure on the Russian economy.
“Putin has a real problem,” Mr Biden said. “How does he move from here? What does he do? What agreement is ultimately reached depends upon Putin and what he decides to do, but there is no possibility of him winning the war in Ukraine. He’s already lost that war.”
The President rejected suggestions the war might last many years. “My expectation is you’ll see that Ukraine makes significant progress on their offensive, and that it generates a negotiated settlement somewhere along the line,” he said.
Asked whether he feared Mr Putin resorting to more desperate measures, he said: “I don’t think there’s any real prospect, you never know, of Mr Putin using nuclear weapons. Not only has the West but China and the rest of the world has said: ‘Don’t go there’.”
The significance of the first American presidential press conference in Helsinki since Donald Trump’s infamous meeting with Mr Putin there five years ago, when they talked privately for two hours, was not lost on Finnish journalists. One asked Mr Biden: “What actions will you take to assure Finland that the US will remain a reliable NATO partner?” Mr Trump had threatened to pull out, to encourage European members to spend more on defence.
Mr Biden replied that he could “absolutely guarantee” America’s commitment to NATO. “There’s overwhelming support from the American people. There’s overwhelming support from the members of congress, both House and Senate, and both parties.”
The Times
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