The International Editor of the BBC has suggested that some European nations do not want to see Ukraine emerge winners in the ongoing war with Russia.

Speaking on the BBC’s Global News Podcast yesterday morning, Jeremy Bowen said (5:35-6:37) it suits less hawkish nations like Italy to have a stalemate in Ukraine, as they are anxious about the tenor of the Russian reaction to a full sale Ukrainian victory:

These comments come in the wake of the stunning volte-face in Ukrainian fortunes, as their army has been recapturing territory from Russian forces in the Kharkiv region since late last week. But these advances may result in Vladimir Putin reacting in, as former Deputy Secretary of Nato Rose Gottemoeller told the BBC, “unpredictable ways”. “I fear they will strike back now in really unpredictable ways and in ways that may even involve weapons of mass destruction,” she said. Her fears were were shared by John Bolton, former National Security Adviser under the Donal Trump administration, who added that nuclear war with Russia was “a lot closer” than previously thought.