Putin vows to ‘Crush Ukraine’ Then Takes Brutal Swipe at Britain’s Army and Economy
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his army will “finish off” Ukraine, while also mocking the UK’s army and economy during a speech at a naval base in the Arctic. Speaking to his submarine crews, Putin said, “Not long ago, I said we’d grind Ukraine down… Now it looks like we’ll finish them off.”
He also criticized the UK, saying, “Britain is acting aggressively, but their economy is only around ninth or tenth in the world.” He pointed out that the UK’s military has only about 170,000 to 180,000 personnel.
Putin’s comments are somewhat true when measuring the economy by purchasing power parity (PPP), but if you look at overall GDP – the total value of everything a country produces – the UK actually ranks sixth, while Russia is in 11th place, about $1.5 trillion behind.
At the same time, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said they plan to send British and French military leaders to Ukraine to prepare for a possible peacekeeping mission. Both countries say they’ll help carry out any future peace deal.
During a big meeting in Paris, Starmer accused Russia of delaying peace efforts, saying, “It’s clear the Russians are playing games and wasting time.”
Putin, who strongly opposes any international peacekeeping force, has said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, should be removed and replaced with a temporary government supervised by the international community. However, the United Nations has said Ukraine’s government is legitimate and must be respected.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and the U.S. are still discussing a possible deal involving Ukraine’s natural resources. The American proposal would require Ukraine to give the U.S. all profits from a special fund until it pays back all the wartime aid, plus interest. Zelensky has said he agrees in principle but won’t accept a deal that harms his country’s future.
