Photo by Boris Johnson
image captionJohnson spoke to Trump last week and wrote that he was “more confident than ever” that he could end the war in Ukraine
July 21, 2024
Former Prime Minister of Great Britain Boris Johnson believes that Donald Trump can end the war in Ukraine, and has published a step-by-step plan on how it can be done and why Russia will agree to it.
This is reported in Johnson’s column for Daily Mail.
The British politician believes that during the attempt in Pennsylvania, Trump showed his true character. And last week, Johnson also spoke with him, and “I was convinced more than ever that he has the strength and courage to save Ukraine, establish peace and stop the destructive spread of the conflict.”
Johnson believes that Trump understands that if Putin is not stopped, he will go to Poland and the Baltic countries, and as a result, the United States will be faced with a choice – to refuse to pretend to be a world leader or to pay trillions of dollars to restore global order and “send young Americans abroad to die on foreign territory”.
“The Ukrainians have shown that they can and will win,” writes Johnson. – Their heroism is incredible. But the war has been going on for too long, and its cost is enormous: lives, economic misery and instability.”
“I believe Trump can end this on the right terms for Ukraine and the West,” Johnson writes.
He emphasizes that he does not know exactly what Trump will do if he is elected in the presidential elections in November, “but this is what he might do.”
Trump himself has repeatedly emphasized that if he wins, he will be able to end the war in Ukraine in one day. Later, he began to say “by the end of the year” but did not go into details publicly.
Johnson’s peace plan
Johnson believes that Trump should first allow Ukraine to hit Russian airfields with American missiles and other weapons. “And further, when Putin is pushed out again,” writes Johnson, an agreement could be offered.
“Putin will have to return to at least the pre-invasion borders in 2022, and to avoid future conflict and uncertainty, the rest of Ukraine must be recognized as a free country able to choose its own destiny within the EU and NATO and join them as soon as possible.”
After the end of the war, he writes, part of the Ukrainian troops will be stationed in European countries and will replace 70,000 US troops stationed to deter possible Russian aggression.
This will allow Trump to “save money, bring American troops home and force Europeans to do more for their own defense, which is one of his key goals.”
image captionBoris Johnson was one of the first to support Ukraine after the Russian attack on 24 February 2022. He came to Ukraine many times both during his premiership and after his resignation. Ukrainians loved him so much that they founded sweets in his honor, and on the Alley of Courage in Kyiv, at the initiative of President Zelensky, his name was engraved
“What would Russia get in return? Well, I think there are incentives that could work with Putin.”
“He could, of course, claim that the ‘special military operation’ or invasion was successful and that he de-Nazified Ukraine,” Johnson writes, noting that special protection measures could be introduced for the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine.
Johnson believes that with President Donald Trump in the White House, “there is a real prospect of a certain global rapprochement with Russia, and with Putin – a return to the days when Russia was a respected partner of the G8 and even NATO.”
According to the politician, there is only one way to achieve such a result – through force.
“Washington under the leadership of Trump will have to show that international borders must be respected and that the Soviet empire cannot be restored by force. This means supporting the Ukrainians to the end,” Johnson said.
“The defeat of Ukraine would lead to huge long-term costs for America and the world. On the other hand, a victory for Ukraine, paradoxically, could pave the way for new and much better relations with Russia. It would be a great victory for America and for the whole world.” , – concluded the British politician.
Reaction of Ukraine
The Johnson-Trump plan, as these peace proposals were nicknamed, although Trump did not react to them, was criticized by Ukrainian figures.
Many predict that after his column, Boris Johnson, who is considered one of Ukraine’s greatest friends in world politics, will no longer be as popular among Ukrainians as before.
“I remembered that last year after a speech in Oxford, I was asked here (Ukrainians – Ed.) why the British don’t like Bob (Boris Johnson – Ed.), and I didn’t answer then (I didn’t have time), – well, now he himself answered me”, – the writer Oksana Zabuzhko reacted.
Johnson suggests that Ukrainians “forget the main thing that they are defending in this war, territorial integrity and identity,” wrote MP Volodymyr Vyatrovych from “European Solidarity”.
His fellow party member Mykola Knyazhytsky also does not understand Johnson.
“Ukrainians are armed to the teeth, they become members of the EU and NATO and defend Europe instead of the Americans, who are being expelled. For this, they give up Crimea and Donbas and protect the “Russian speakers” so that Putin can announce to the “population” that he carried out denazification,” he wrote he, calling Johnson’s article “the delusion of a madman.”
“It is strange that such things were written by a politician who admires Churchill and even published his biography a few years ago. So, the most outstanding British prime minister of the Second World War rightly noted that if between war and disgrace you choose disgrace, then you will get both disgrace and war”, – writes Iryna Gerashchenko from “EU”.
The President’s Office has not yet commented on Boris Johnson’s proposals.
The number of Ukrainians who are in favor of negotiations with Russia and territorial concessions has increased in recent months, sociologists observe.
But Ukrainians with such attitudes are still in the minority. According to a survey conducted by the Razumkov Center on behalf of the Ukrainian publication ZN.UA in June of this year, 44% of the surveyed Ukrainians are ready for negotiations with Russia, but 61% are not ready to make any concessions for this.
