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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin has already triggered World War III, arguing that only sustained military and economic pressure can force Moscow to retreat.
“I believe that Putin has already started it,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with the BBC. “The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him.”
He said Russia is seeking to impose “a different way of life” on the world and to overturn choices made by sovereign nations.
“I believe that stopping Putin today and preventing him from occupying Ukraine is a victory for the whole world,” Zelenskyy said. “Because Putin will not stop at Ukraine.”
The remarks came as Britain’s defense secretary said he wants to deploy British troops to Ukraine, describing such a move as a signal that Russia’s war would be nearing its end as it approaches its fourth anniversary.
“There is no heavier burden on any defense secretary or any government than committing our armed forces on operations,” John Healey wrote in a guest column in the Sunday Telegraph. “I want to be the defense secretary who deploys British troops to Ukraine—because this will mean that this war is finally over.”
Healey said such a deployment would follow a negotiated peace and contribute to long-term European security.
“A secure Europe needs a strong, sovereign Ukraine,” he wrote.
European leaders, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and eight other countries, have been discussing the formation of a so-called “coalition of the willing,” potentially with U.S. support.
According to Healey, the group could assist in rebuilding Ukraine’s armed forces, securing Ukrainian airspace and supporting maritime security, including operations inside Ukraine.
The U.K. government said it is working with allies to establish the coalition as a deterrent against future Russian aggression once a settlement is reached between Moscow and Kyiv.
In December, European leaders signaled that Europe was prepared to lead a multinational force in Ukraine as part of a U.S.-backed framework for a potential peace agreement.
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