Vladimir Putin is so popular in Russia that he has the “political space” to withdraw his troops from Ukraine, Boris Johnson said.
The prime minister said the Russian president still had “massive support” from his own people, despite international outrage at the invasion.
“The Russian public supports Putin,” Johnson told Talk TV. “He therefore has the political freedom to maneuver within Russia. Putin has much more political space to back down.”
The Prime Minister added: “There may come a time when he will tell the Russian people: ‘The military-technical operation we started in Ukraine has been completed.’ He has a lot of room for maneuver. “
Mr Johnson also said he did not expect Putin to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine if faced with more military failures in the country – saying he was not worried about the scenario.
He also rejected Moscow’s claim that the United Kingdom was involved in a proxy war with Russia. “It is very important that we do not accept the way the Russians are trying to portray what is happening in Ukraine,” Mr Johnson said.
The prime minister dismissed Sergei Lavrov’s comments on the increased risk of nuclear war after Russia’s foreign minister said NATO was “essentially” involved in a proxy war by supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Earlier on Tuesday, Armed Forces Minister James Happy backed Ukrainian strikes on targets behind Russian lines – even if the weapons used were delivered from the United Kingdom – saying it was “perfectly legitimate”.
Johnson said: “We do not want the crisis to escalate beyond Ukraine’s borders, but as James Happy said, they have the right to defend themselves.
The prime minister said it was “quite unusual” that Sweden and Finland had said they wanted to join NATO, warning Putin that Western countries would provide more weapons and share intelligence with Ukraine.
He added: “I have a lot of sympathy for individual Russians, for Russia as a country – this is a fantastic country. But the Putin regime is engaged in a devilish attempt to crush the lives of Ukrainians.
The prime minister did not rule out an exchange of prisoners to free a Briton who had been captured by Russian forces, but said his government could not “prevent” what decisions could be made by Ukraine’s leaders.
The family of Aidan Aslin, who was captured during the Ukrainian war, wants Russia to release him after he appeared in a video asking him to take part in a prisoner exchange in exchange for pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, held by Ukraine.
Regarding the chances of exchanging prisoners, Mr Johnson said: “We will do what we can. It is obvious to the Ukrainians. They have the other individual who is part of the equation. We can’t really warn what they can decide. “
Mr Johnson said Mr Aslin and others were “entitled to rights under the Geneva Convention”, adding: “They should not parade in front of the cameras. They should not be forced to give videos of hostages – this is a violation of their rights as prisoners of war. “
The prime minister said Facebook was removing a video of Mr Alsin after Culture Minister Nadine Doris called Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs at parent company Meta.
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