Vladimir Putin is "a man in a homemade cage," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday.

With an exhausted army and high military casualties, the Russian president "no longer has the strength he once had."

Wallace's pithy words followed the announcement that London, along with 34 other capitals, will ship new weapons systems to Ukraine, including long-range artillery and armored vehicles.

Jochen Buchsteiner

Political correspondent in London.

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It was the second time since the start of the war that Britain had organized some sort of arms dealers' conference on behalf of Ukraine.

Deliveries are said to include anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles.

Great Britain will deliver "Kamikaze drones" ("loitering ammunition").

Admiral Tony Radakin, the British Chief of Defense Staff, informed the government on Wednesday that the conflict was developing into a "more traditional war" since the Ukrainian army was no longer just repelling attacks from Russia but had to reclaim and hold terrain.

This calls for changes in support and heralds a "new phase".

Malcolm Chalmers, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute in London, described the weapon systems as "particularly useful for counter-offensives" against retreating troops.

The decision was "quantitatively and qualitatively significant".

He warned that the conflict could increasingly become a war of attrition, with both sides lacking arms and ammunition.

Johnson reportedly told his cabinet that he did not expect a negotiated settlement anytime soon.

Rather, he fears that Putin will try to "poke at the wound with a knife."

He will become "less predictable and more vengeful."

Once again, voices were raised in the London government district that accused the allies of a lack of toughness.

It was said that not only in Berlin and Paris, but also in Washington, a quick negotiated solution was being sought “overzealously”.

This concern was also confirmed to the FAZ by a government representative.

In London, they see themselves as Ukraine's most loyal ally, who enjoys "the most trust" there.

An interview in the Economist, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi recently praised Johnson's position as "exemplary" and criticized France and Germany, was taken as confirmation.

While London wanted Moscow's defeat, Paris and Berlin were attempting a "balancing act," he said.

London now also sees itself in an international leadership role when it comes to sanctions.

Secretary of State Liz Truss presented further measures targeting Russian media and their representatives on Thursday.

This increased the number of sanctioned Russians to 817. The EU, on the other hand, had sanctioned 680 people and Washington 470, said a government official.