Western leaders predict speedy end to war as Putin signals surge

Several Western leaders have predicted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could end in under a week, drawing a sharp contrast with Russia’s reported plans to escalate the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to end his invasion of Ukraine on Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Pope Francis, a notion apparently bolstered by U.S. Democrats, who are increasingly using the word “victory” in their rhetoric regarding the conflict. But the Western optimism that the war is nearing a close clashes with reports that Putin could issue a war declaration that same day, which is a Russian holiday.