Tag Archives: Vladimir Putin

Putin ‘Physically Afraid Of His Own Army’ Returning Home If He Does Not Secure A Ukraine Victory

Posted on by
Reply

Vladimir Putin fears his own soldiers returning home if Russia does not manage to secure a victory against Ukraine, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian president claimed his Russian counterpart is “physically afraid of his own army” in a new post on X after the largest Ukrainian attack on Moscow since the start of the war in February 2022.

It comes amid reports Donald Trump may be looking to adopt a harder approach against Putin once again following a friendly G7 summit earlier this week.

Writing on X, Zelenskyy said: “There’s no doubt that Putin fears the return of his army home.

“That is why he is so afraid of the war ending without victory.

“And there will be no victory. He is physically afraid of his own army.”

The Russian president has repeatedly dragged his feet over peace negotiations to end his land grab in Ukraine, even when Trump forced Kyiv into making major concessions to the aggressor.

Now the US president has signalled that he will increase sanctions on the Russian oil trade again, a move which will hit the country’s economy.

That’s terrible news for Putin, who has forced his army on in Ukraine despite accumulating more than 1.2 million casualties – many more than Ukraine has endured.

Zelenskyy also said: “That is why, if there is no ceasefire backed by specific security guarantees, he will return to war. And this time, others may be the ones under attack.”

“Today, Ukraine is de facto the second army of Nato – one that is not inferior to the second army in the world,” he added.

“And that is why Nato needs us – specifically us – de jure. This is already a fact recognised by all leaders.

“Putin will remain in the Kremlin until his death, and he has one goal: the restoration of the Soviet Union.

“Without Ukraine, this is impossible, and that is why things are so difficult for us.”

Speaking after meeting senior EU leaders in Brussels, Zelenskyy said the bloc was looking to step up sanctions on Russia again.

He said: “Putin doesn’t want to stop, and all his talk about seeking peace is nothing but lies. All partners, all Europeans, feel this. But everyone is confident that together we will stop him.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Share Button

Ukrainian MP Calls Out ‘Moment Of Weakness’ From UK Over Russian Sanctions

Posted on by
Reply

A Ukrainian MP has called out the UK for its “moment of weakness” after the government decided to continue allowing the import of Russian oil products.

Labour triggered intense backlash this week after it declared it was pushing back plans to close a loophole in its sanctions against Moscow.

The government unveiled a set of temporary licences which will allow diesel and jet fuel – refined in third countries but made from Russian oil – into the country.

Ministers insist the ban will come in eventually, but chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones refused to give any indication of a timeline when speaking to Sky News.

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik said the announcement came as a “surprise” to her, and described it as a “point of weakness”.

“At first it was a surprise because the United Kingdom is one of the countries that first has been our strongest partner, but also a country where all the parties are supportive of Ukraine, on different levels,” she told Sky News.

“So to hear that there was this like moment of weakness, a point of weakness was surprising. And I believe this is what was discussed between the [Ukrainian] president and the prime minister.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer spoke on the phone on Wednesday evening.

She continued: “But let me tell you this, no matter what happens, Russia is always laughing that Europe is paying for the war from both pockets, from one supporting Ukraine and from another one paying for Russian gas and oil.

“Is it worthy of continuing doing that? Because it is definitely worthy of supporting Ukraine. And we really hope that all our partners, all European countries, will every day go away from purchasing Russian gas and oil rather than trying to move back a little bit.”

Jones tried to clear up some of the confusion around the controversial decision on Sunday, saying it was “totally wrong” to say the decision stemmed from concerns around jet fuel shortages linked to the war in Iran.

He said: “No, that’s totally wrong. Totally wrong.

“One of my jobs in the Cabinet Office is to chair contingency planning, and I’ve been spending many hours doing that in relation to the impact of the Middle East on the UK.”

Jones said the UK has other sources from around the world to rely on.

However, the decision still stunned shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel.

She said: “When the government says they’re introducing new sanctions, they might be introducing them – but there’s no framework for that. There’s no date coming forward. And in the meantime, they’re now allowing and enabling Russian imported oil to come into the United Kingdom.

“So they’ve contradicted themselves. And clearly that is not helpful when it comes to the Ukraine conflict at all.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Share Button

Donald Trump Once Again Sides With Vladimir Putin Over The Ukraine War

Posted on by
Reply

Donald Trump has once again sided with Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war – and appeared to take another sly dig at Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The US president insisted Russia’s leader “was ready to make a deal a while ago” to end the conflict.

But in an apparent reference to Zelenskyy, he claimed “some people made it difficult for him”.

His comments, in the Oval Office on Wednesday, came as the deadlock in the war continues more than four years after Putin started it by ordering his troops to invade Uklraine.

Repeated attempts by Trump to end the conflict have failed after Ukraine rejected Russian demands to hand over territory which they have failed to take by force.

Speaking about his most recent phone conversation with the Russian president, Trump said: “I said before you help me I want to end your war. We had a good talk, I’ve known him a long time.

“I think he was ready to make a deal a while ago. I think some people made it difficult for him to make a deal.”

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="Twitter" data-component-id="5926" data-component-props="{"itemType":"rich","isLiveblogEmbed":false,"index":10,"contentIndexByType":1,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

Trump says he had a “good talk” with war criminal Vladimir Putin, who he claims wants to end the war:

“He was ready to make a deal a while ago but some people made it difficult for him to make a deal.”

By “some people,” Trump likely refers to President Zelenskyy, who refused to… pic.twitter.com/NVfx1o9OrA

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) April 29, 2026

","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Republicans against Trump","author_url":"https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump","cache_age":86400,"description":"Trump says he had a “good talk” with war criminal Vladimir Putin, who he claims wants to end the war:“He was ready to make a deal a while ago but some people made it difficult for him to make a deal.”By “some people,” Trump likely refers to President Zelenskyy, who refused to… pic.twitter.com/NVfx1o9OrA— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) April 29, 2026\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/2049564162020229120/img/x1CnsT4K1Qihnto0.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Republicans against Trump on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2049564232308384028","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isMobile":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"69f2ee80e4b0f004aa7815eb","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-once-again-sides-with-vladimir-putin-over-the-ukraine-war_uk_69f2ee80e4b0f004aa7815eb","entryTagsList":"donald-trump,russia,ukraine,vladimir-putin,@ai_seo_headline","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"isShopping":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"16b0ecc6-802c-4120-845f-e90629812c4d","clickToPlayPlayer":"823ac03a-0f7e-4bcb-8521-a5b091ae948d","videoPagePlayer":"05041ada-93f7-4e86-9208-e03a5b19311b","defaultPlaylist":"2e062669-71b4-41df-b17a-df6b1616bc8f"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":5},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"69f2ee80e4b0f004aa7815eb","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","links":{"relativeLink":"news/donald-trump","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/donald-trump","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/donald-trump"},"section":{"title":"News","slug":"news"},"topic":{"title":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/donald-trump/"},{"name":"Russia","slug":"russia","links":{"relativeLink":"news/russia","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/russia","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/russia"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine/"},{"name":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ukraine","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukraine/"},{"name":"Vladimir Putin","slug":"vladimir-putin","links":{"relativeLink":"news/vladimir-putin","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/vladimir-putin","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/vladimir-putin"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/vladimir-putin/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"signInUrl":"https://login.huffpost.com/login?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fdonald-trump-once-again-sides-with-vladimir-putin-over-the-ukraine-war_uk_69f2ee80e4b0f004aa7815eb%3Fhp_auth_done%3D1","cetUnit":"buzz_body","enableIncontentPlayer":true,"bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline\", \"entry_paragraph_2\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0,"midArticleAdPartner":null},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

Trump says he had a “good talk” with war criminal Vladimir Putin, who he claims wants to end the war:

“He was ready to make a deal a while ago but some people made it difficult for him to make a deal.”

By “some people,” Trump likely refers to President Zelenskyy, who refused to… pic.twitter.com/NVfx1o9OrA

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) April 29, 2026

Trump has regularly repeated Kremlin talking points about the war since being re-elected president in 2024.

Most notably, he has claimed that Ukraine, rather than Russia, actually started the conflict.

Speaking last year, the president said: “Russia is a powerful military nation.

“You know, whether people like it or not, it’s a powerful nation. It’s a much bigger nation. You don’t do that. You don’t take on a nation that’s 10 times your size.”

He also said Ukraine provoked the war by trying to get too close to Nato and the West.

“It was always a no-no, you could not. Russia said, ‘We don’t want the so-called opponent or the enemy,’ let’s use that term, ‘We don’t want them on our border.’ And they were right.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Share Button