Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab
According to Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, the fight in Ukraine will endure months, if not years, and foreign allies would need to show “strategic tenacity” to guarantee Russian President Vladimir Putin fails.
“Our objective with our partners is to ensure Putin fails in Ukraine, and that will take time – we’re talking months, if not years — so we need to show some strategic stamina,” Raab told Sky News.
Talk of Russia employing nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine, according to Raab, is “rhetoric and brinkmanship.”
When asked about a possible nuclear escalation by the Kremlin, he told Sky News, “I think it’s bluster and brinkmanship.”
“(Putin’s) got a track record of misinformation and propaganda as long as anyone’s arm… this is a distraction from the real issues at hand, which is that it’s an unlawful invasion that isn’t proceeding as planned.”
He dismissed Putin’s Saturday address, in which he compared the West’s sanctions to a declaration of war.
“Sanctions are not an act of war,” he argued, citing international law as proof. “Not only are our sanctions legitimate, but they’re also commensurate to the problem we’re seeking to solve.”
He also urged China and India to aid in the intensification of diplomatic pressure on Russia.
“China has landed a job in the United States.” They, as well as India, who is a permanent member of the Security Council, must step up. “The diplomatic pressure must be increased,” Raab added.