[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the 27th (local time) that Russian forces are making noticeable progress on the eastern Donbas front in Ukraine, according to foreign media reports.
According to the reports, Prime Minister Johnson stated in an interview with Bloomberg that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "regrettably trampling Donbas at great cost to his own troops."
After Russia failed to capture the capital Kyiv during its invasion of Ukraine in February, it reset its objective to occupy Donbas, which encompasses the two provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, concentrating its forces for the attack.
The fighting in the Donbas area, which has lasted for about a month, recently showed signs of a war of attrition but has intensified again. Russia has carried out indiscriminate attacks on small towns within Donbas.
Regarding the fighting in the Donbas region, Prime Minister Boris said, "The Russian army is making slow but gradual and worryingly noticeable progress," adding, "It is absolutely crucial that we (Western countries) provide military support to Ukraine."
He said, "Ukraine needs more military support, including multiple rocket launcher systems, and the war must end."
However, Russia, which has used the pretext of 'denazification' to oust the Ukrainian leadership showing extreme nationalist tendencies, must stop the war. One way to end the war, he argued, is "for President Putin to acknowledge that 'denazification of Ukraine' has been realized and to withdraw while preserving honor and dignity."
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Boris said, "That does not mean I agree with Russia's position that assumes there were Nazi-like forces in Ukraine," and he believes President Putin "has the political room to maneuver necessary to end the war."
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