British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against rushing to make a deal with Russia to end the war, The Times of London reported.
Johnson spoke with Zelenskyy last weekend and told the Ukrainian president that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “liar and a bully” who would use talks to “wear you down and force you to make concessions,” the Times reported.
The Times, citing a senior government source, said Great Britain had a tougher stance than the United States, France, and Germany regarding a potential peace deal.
The British were concerned that allies were “over-eager” to secure an early peace deal, and could press Ukraine to “settle” and make significant concessions in peace talks with Russia, the Times reported.
“Some of our allies may be too eager for him to make a deal,” a source told news outlet.
The source added that Johnson supported the strengthening of sanctions against Russia until Putin’s troops leave Ukraine.
The British government believes that Ukraine should be in the strongest position to conclude any peace agreements, the source explained to the Times.
The Times added that Zelenskyy, in his call with Johnson, raised concerns about the progress of the talks and whether the Kremlin was using them to reposition and strengthen its forces.
On Monday, it was reported that Zelenskyy complimented the U.K. and U.S. for their support of Ukraine.
“To be honest, [British Prime Minister Boris] Johnson is the leader who is helping most,” Zelenskyy told The Economist. “Britain is definitely on our side. They are not trying to balance. Britain doesn’t see an alternative solution to the situation.
“Britain wants Ukraine to win and Russia to lose, but I’m not ready to say whether Britain wants the war to take too long or not.”
Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out an airstrike against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday, an incident the Kremlin said set an unfavorable tone for peace talks with Kyiv.
Earlier this week, Ukraine reacted with skepticism to Russia’s promise in negotiations to scale down military operations around Kyiv and another city as some Western countries expected Moscow to intensify its offensive in other parts of the country.
Reporting by Newsmax.
