Boris Johnson has announced that he is leaving not only the Westminster stage, but also the global one.
His resignation means he will no longer appear at all important summits and high-level meetings.
Instead, world leaders will have to deal with a new prime minister. And it is likely that few countries or leaders will miss it, except one.
Ukraine
If there’s one place mourning the fall of Boris Johnson, it’s Ukraine.
He is the best-known foreign leader there, aside from President Vladimir Putin. In virtually every interview, from civilians fleeing front-line cities to defense officials, Boris is hailed as Ukraine’s closest ally.
Ukrainians even took to social media to congratulate him for surviving the no-confidence vote in June.
Boris Johnson visited Kyiv last month
(Press Office of the President of Ukraine/PA)
There has been genuine confusion among those interviewed by The Independent over the past few days as to why Britain would want to get rid of “such a great man”.
And so for Kyiv, the domestic turmoil that forced Mr. Johnson to finally step down could deal quite a blow.
Much of this adoration is due to the fact that Mr Johnson is among the only foreign leaders to have made two surprise visits to President Zelensky in Kyiv, most recently in June. The Ukrainian leader said Thursday’s news was met with “sadness” in Kyiv.
Just last week, the UK announced an additional £1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. This brings the UK’s total military and economic support to an impressive £3.8 billion, making the UK second only to the US.
The UK was also among the first nations to supply weapons to Ukraine early on, including Nlaw anti-tank weapons, M270 multiple launch rocket systems and Brimstone short-range missiles.
Because of this, and the alleged role Mr Johnson has played in rallying Europe around Ukraine, he has become a celebrity in the country.
He became an honorary citizen of the strategic port city of Odessa. Several Ukrainian cities have reportedly already announced plans to rename streets after him.
Indeed, a June poll by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft found that in Ukraine Boris Johnson was almost as popular as President Zelensky, ahead of US President Joe Biden and miles ahead of the leaders of France and Germany.
MPs and officials say he has set the “highest bar” internationally in terms of support for Ukraine and led the newly formed international coalition against Putin.
They hope that whoever comes next will meet those standards and even surpass them.
But with Mr Johnson accused of neglecting the UK’s most pressing domestic problems and a government collapsing so spectacularly, whoever succeeds him will have to refocus on consolidating the leadership and on the day-to-day cares of the household. This could overshadow Ukraine, Russia and a war that is 3,000 km (1,865 miles) away.
Bel Trew in Dnipro, Ukraine
France
“48 hours of circus” is how one French newspaper described the build-up to Boris Johnson’s resignation on Thursday.
It was a fitting finale for a prime minister once called a “non-clown” by French President Emmanuel Macron. More than 50 resignations in two days have left increasingly skeptical media commentators in France wondering how much longer Johnson can continue to preside over “total chaos”.
Some even compared his insistence on giving up power to that of Donald Trump, another populist Macron was forced to deal with during his time at the Elysee Palace.
Boris Johnson talks to Annick Penders (centre), wife of Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croix, and Brigitte Macron, wife of French President in Madrid
(AP)
With Mr Johnson responsible for spearheading and implementing Brexit, his relationship with his Europhile counterpart was always going to be rocky.
Accused of “making a mockery” of UK-France relations over his handling of the migrant crisis, Mr Johnson has also led a backlash over fishing rights and balked at the prospect of breaking international law by triggering Article 16 of the protocol for Northern Ireland.
All this meant the UK leader was accused of fostering perhaps the worst cross-Channel relations since Napoleon. But recent G7 and NATO summits have brought hope for improvement, united by their stance on the war in Ukraine as well as shared security and economic interests.
Mr Johnson and Mr Macron once enjoyed a late-night whiskey together and planned the first bilateral summit between the two countries since 2018. But while “Le Bromance,” as the prime minister’s aides have reportedly dubbed it, may be over, his departure will bring fresh hope for a new cordial arrangement.
Anthony Cuthbertson in Paris, France
USA
Boris Johnson’s death after only a few short years as UK head of government will have little impact on America’s relationship with the constitutional monarchy with which it severed ties nearly 250 years ago.
On foreign policy, concerns that Mr Johnson’s rise could portend tensions in the transatlantic alliance have largely subsided thanks to former President Donald Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden, with whom the outgoing prime minister worked to push the US The UK and its NATO allies are closer together than they have been in decades in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Prime Minister meets then US President Donald Trump for bilateral talks during the G7 summit in Biarritz, France in 2019.
(PA)
Although Mr Johnson has in many ways sought to engage with the conflict in Ukraine with several high-profile trips to Kyiv, it was Mr Biden who took the lion’s share of responsibility for keeping NATO leaders united, culminating in the announcement from last week that Sweden and Finland would get unanimous consent to join the alliance after Turkey overruled previous objections.
Mr Biden and his aides have been largely silent as the prime minister’s political fortunes have waned over the past few days.
Asked whether the US had any concerns about the unrest, the responses characterized Johnson’s problems as a domestic political issue.
But the White House says the upcoming change in leadership will have no impact on the strength of the “special relationship.”
Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to Cleveland on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that “the US partnership with the UK continues to be strong.”
Andrew Feinberg in Washington, DC, USA
India
Mr Johnson received a traditional turban on his arrival at Gujarat Biotechnology University in April
(POOL/AFP via Getty)
The saga of resignations before Mr Johnson’s decision to step down has drawn sustained coverage on Indian news channels and online platforms, where analysis has focused on the impact of potential changes in No 10 on relations between the two countries.
Indian newspaper editorials were scathing about Mr Johnson’s handling of Partygate and other ethics scandals, while almost all major media outlets explained to their readers Britain’s complex parliamentary procedures.
There was visible enthusiasm around the prospect of former chancellor Rishi Sunak – whose wife and parents are Indian – as a possible successor to Mr Johnson, with the nationalist news website OpIndia gleefully describing him as the “favourite to be the next prime minister”.
It was also noted that the cascade of resignations began with Mr Sunak, who is of Indian origin, and Sajid Javid, whose parents are Pakistani.
India’s leading Hindi news channel Aaj Tak compared Mr Johnson’s situation to that seen in the state of Maharashtra in recent days, where the state government was ousted after a revolt by members of its own assembly.
Mr. Johnson’s withdrawal has divided social media in India largely on ideological grounds, seen as bad news by supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who often claims warm ties to Mr. Johnson.
However, the news was welcomed by Modi’s critics, who re-shared photos from Johnson’s April visit to India where he rode a bulldozer.
The images were branded tone-deaf at a time when bulldozers were becoming a symbol of oppression against Muslims in India.
For many here, particularly on the liberal left, that will be Mr Johnson’s only lasting legacy.
Stuti Mishra in Delhi, India
Middle East
As far as the Middle East is concerned, Boris Johnson’s tenure will be mostly remembered as unforgettable. He saw the region as a container for British weapons and a gas station for fuel.
After his resignation, his enemies in the Middle East gloated, but not too expansively, and those who considered themselves friends shrugged.
As prime minister, Mr Johnson reliably bowed to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He has drawn the ire of Palestinians for taking positions seen as too pro-Israel. And he vilified Iran and its allies.
He drew criticism for failing to do enough to win the release of UK hostages, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who went home to his post after his own disastrous comments as foreign secretary were used against her.
Mr Johnson was welcomed by Mohammed bin Salman last month in Riyadh
(PA)
Frankly, he has shown consistent apathy when it comes to human rights issues throughout the Middle East, including Egypt and the Gulf states.
The UK was conspicuously absent as Western embassies joined together to call on Ankara to release dissident Osman Kavala.
In a potentially creative piece of foreign policy, Johnson appears to be seeking to use Turkey as an economic counterweight to the European Union after Brexit. But this effort failed.
Most notably, Johnson immersed the United Kingdom’s Middle East policies in those of the United States. Although he has visited Turkey, Israel and elsewhere during his tenure as foreign minister since taking over as prime minister almost three years ago, he has visited only two countries in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia and…
Add Comment