Poland President Duda warns 'Putin may win' if allies don't rush weapons to Ukraine

Poland's President Andrzej Duda, who accused Russia's President Vladimir Putin of behaving "like a tyrant and colonialist" by invading Ukraine, on Saturday said that the authoritarian leader "may win" the war if Kyiv does not urgently receive military equipment and aid that it needs. Duda had earlier predicted that Russia's forces, who are "still very strong", may be preparing a new offensive in Ukraine within months and that Kyiv needed immediate additional support including long-range missiles and battle tanks. 

"Russians do not have the modern military infrastructure, but they do have people," Duda warned in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro. 

"If we do not send military equipment to Ukraine in the coming weeks, Putin may win. He can win, and we do not know where he will stop," he added. 

German party suggests 'realistic' approach to war: Truce

Duda's statements were made as he, simultaneously, ruled out the possibility of delivering fighter jets to Ukraine, adding that such a decision will be taken collectively by all NATO members. The Polish President hinted that his country only has 50 US-manufactured F-16 aircraft that are not sufficient for his own country amid the escalating security situation. In a staunch take, member of the NATO Germany's The Left Party Sahra Wagenknecht told Die Welt newspaper that instead of weapons, a truce shall be negotiated with Russia's President Vladimir Putin. A more "realistic" approach would be to declare the neutral status for Ukraine, declare a de-militarized zone in contested regions, and ink the referendums on territorial affiliation, German lawmakers suggested. 

"If such a proposal had been made, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would have refused to even discuss it, then it would be possible to talk about a different path. But how can you say that Russians do not want negotiations if such an offer is not even on the table?" one member of Germany's The Left Party Sahra Wagenknecht told Die Welt. Her remarks came as Berlin approved arms manufacturer Rheinmetall’s plan to deliver 88 Leopard 1s to Ukraine and send Leopard 2 MBTs. 

In a more supportive stance just a month into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland had insisted on sending Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine through the United States Ramstein airbase in Germany. This had raised “serious concerns” for the entire NATO alliance. Pentagon's spokesman John Kirby, at the time, had rejected the prospect of supplying jets from the US-NATO base, arguing that it may lead to direct confrontation as  US warplanes flying “into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance”. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been making appeals for sending fighter jets to help fend off invading Russian troops' assault on Ukrainian soil and attack the enemy positions.