Boris Johnson said the West must continue to support Ukrainians as they seek to regain Russian-occupied territory, saying it would be a “catastrophe” if President Vladimir Putin managed to claim victory.
Speaking on his return to the United Kingdom after an unannounced visit to Kyiv, the prime minister said Ukraine should not be encouraged to adopt a “bad peace” that would simply be a prelude to a renewed Russian offensive.
Johnson also defended his decision to withdraw from the Northern Tories conference on Friday so he can meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
President Vladimir Zelensky congratulates Boris Johnson in Kyiv (Press office of Ukrainian President / PA)
(PA Media)
The time of the visit led to accusations that he was ignoring the North ahead of a decisive by-election in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, which is expected to lose the Tories.
Speaking to RAF reporters Brize Norton on his return, Mr Johnson said it was important to show support for the UK at a time when Ukrainians are “suffering terribly” in the face of the ongoing Russian offensive in Donbass.
“I think it is very important that we go to Ukraine at a particularly critical time. “Our concern is that a little bit of fatigue from Ukraine is starting to build up all over the world,” he said.
“It is very important to show that we are with them for a long time and give them the strategic resilience they need.
Speaking to Zelensky, Mr Johnson said Britain would be ready to train tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops as they continue to fight the Russians.
Mr Johnson said it was important to prevent the Russians from “freezing” the conflict so they could consolidate their profits before launching another attack.
He said Ukrainians should be backed by their ambition to retake Russian-occupied territory after the February invasion.
However, he stopped calling for the restoration of all the lands Ukraine has lost since 2014 – including Crimea – something Foreign Minister Liz Truss had previously called for.
“It would be a disaster if Putin won,” Johnson said.
“He would want nothing more than to say, ‘Let’s freeze this conflict, let’s have a ceasefire, as we had in 2014.’
“It would be a huge victory for him. You will have a situation where Putin is able to consolidate his profits and then launch a new attack.
“We need to make it clear that we support the Ukrainians in their ambitions – to drive out the Russians, to drive out Putin’s armies, from everything he has gained since February 24, and to make sure that Ukrainians are not encouraged to do bad things. peace, something that just won’t last. “
Mr Johnson’s visit was warmly welcomed by Ukrainians, with Zelensky’s television footage showing the prime minister the remains of burned Russian tanks and other vehicles on display in St. Michael’s Square in Kyiv.
Crowds were also shown to applaud the two leaders in a video the prime minister shared on Twitter.
The video shows him and Zelensky visiting a memorial wall to the fallen Ukrainian soldiers, and Mr Johnson praised their “sacrifice, invincible courage and bravery”.
He said: “Thank you, my friend President Zelensky, for receiving me in Ukraine yesterday.
“It was incredibly exciting to walk the streets of Kyiv with you once again to pay tribute to your fallen soldiers, whose self-sacrifice, invincible courage and bravery we will never forget.
The prime minister also shared a photo of himself and Mr Zelenski talking around a table and lighting candles at a place of worship.
Add Comment