Vladimir Putin 'Not the Force He Used To Be'—British Defence Minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin is no longer the force on the international stage he used to be, according to a British Member of Parliament (MP).

United Kingdom Defence Secretary and MP Ben Wallace criticized Putin and claimed his actions had made Russia a "lesser country."

He also reflected on how the reputation of the Russian army has now shifted due to the perceived difficulties it has had fighting in Ukraine.

"I certainly think, in the big picture away from Ukraine, which is a sad and dangerous war at the moment, President Putin is not the force he used to be," Wallace said while speaking to Sky News.

"He is now a man in a cage that he built himself, he is isolated, he has international sanctions from all over the world against him.

"Russia is a lesser country rather than a greater country as a result of him knowingly and deliberately breaking international law by invading."

Putin's invasion of Ukraine has seemingly proved to be difficult for the Russian army with the force dealing with a multitude of problems since the conflict began in late February.

Last week a Pentagon official told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. had evidence Russian soldiers were struggling to battle the weather conditions in Ukraine.

The official claimed that some Russian troops had been taken away from the fighting due to suffering from frostbite. They added that the Russian army is suffering food shortages, logistics challenges, and a lack of guided munitions.

Wallace closed by reflecting on how these struggles and losses will impact Russia's reputation internationally overall.

"His army is exhausted, he has suffered significant losses, the reputation of this great army of Russia has been trashed," the MP continued.

"[Vladimir Putin] now has to live with the consequences, not only of what he is doing to Ukraine but he has also got to live with the consequences of what he has done to his own army.

"The level of losses among young Russian conscripts and soldiers is in the 1,000s. They are even being reported as being even greater than they lost in 10 years of the Soviet Union."

Earlier this week, the head of the British Armed Forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, claimed that Putin had already lost the war with Ukraine.

He insisted this was due to "catastrophic misjudgments".

"Like all authoritarians, he allowed himself to be misled as to his own strength, including the effectiveness of the Russian armed forces," Radakin said on Thursday during an event hosted by the independent think tank Institute for Government (IFG).

"In many ways, Putin has already lost. Far from being the far-sighted manipulator of events that he would have us believe, Putin has damaged himself through a series of catastrophic misjudgments."

Newsweek has contacted Ben Wallace for comment.