Vladimir Putin ‘already lost’ Ukraine war: Biden in Finland

HELSINKI, Finland — President Biden said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “already lost” his war in Ukraine and that it’s only a matter of time until he accepts it as a fact.

Biden made the bold pronouncement during a visit to Finland to celebrate the longtime neutral Russian neighbor’s admission to NATO this past April following Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.

“Putin’s already lost the war,” Biden said during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.

“Putin has a real problem: How does he move from here? What does he do? And so, the idea that there’s going to be, what vehicle is used,” the president went on before reiterating that the Russian tyrant “could end the war tomorrow. He could just say, ‘I’m out.’”

“There’s no possibility of him winning the war in Ukraine,” Biden added. “He’s already lost that war.”

The American president effectively declared victory by Kyiv even as it carries out a slow-moving counteroffensive meant to take back Russian-controlled areas of southern and eastern Ukraine.

In a bid to bolster Ukrainian efforts to regain ground, Biden last week authorized the transfer of controversial cluster munitions, which are banned by more than 100 countries — including key NATO allies — because they can injure or kill civilians long after wars end.

This is a developing story