“I’m afraid Putin, at the cost of heavy losses for himself and for the Russian army, continues to bite through the Donbas,” Johnson said. “It is continuing slowly, but, I am afraid, an obvious step forward, so it is absolutely essential that we continue with Ukraine’s military support,” Johnson said.
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In the interview, the Prime Minister also repeated the comparison from the previous week, when he spoke of Putin as a crocodile.
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“How can you deal with a crocodile when it’s eating your left leg?” Johnson answered the question of the possibility of future negotiations with a Russian statesman. “That guy can’t be trusted at all,” he added to the Kremlin’s chief.
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Ukraine has long called on allied states for rocket launchers, but the West fears that if they are provided, it will approach a direct confrontation with Russia. US-made MLRS weapons systems can fire a volley of missiles hundreds of miles away. Kyiv is also asking for another American system, the lighter salvo rocket HIMARS.
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Weapons like the MLRS would probably prove highly effective against Russian artillery, but at the same time they would increase the risk of shelling Russian territory, either by mistake or intentionally, writes Bloomberg. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also asked for the delivery of additional salvo rocket launchers, which the Czechia also sent to Ukraine.
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MLRS rocket launchers would “help Ukraine defend itself against very brutal Russian artillery, so the world should go in that direction,” Johnson said.
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Salvation rocket launchers are preparing to provide the administration of US President Joe Biden to Kiev, which has been defending the Russian invasion since February 24. CNN reported on Friday, citing several officials. The weapons requested by Ukraine should be part of a larger package of military and security aid that Washington could announce as early as next week.
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