Donald Trump will not abandon Ukraine and “make the Soviet Empire great again” if elected US president, former UK prime minister Boris Johnson says.
Speaking to CNN, the former leader rejected suggestions that a possible Trump II administration would allow Kyiv to fall to Russia as, he said, doing so would fly in the face of the Republican politician’s political platform.
“I cannot believe that a guy who is so passionate about his country — about making America great again — which he wants to do … will want to kick off his next presidential term by basically allowing the Soviet Empire to be great again. I can’t believe that he will allow that to happen.”
Johnson claimed Trump had historically been more robust on international foreign policy matters, adding that the former president backed delivering shoulder-mounted missile platforms to Ukraine during his time in office.
“I got to speak as I found it. When I was foreign secretary, when I had to deal with Donald Trump, I’ve got to tell you … on a lot of the key issues, he was very very solid,” said Johnson, nicknamed “BoJo”, citing the former president’s positions on Iran, Syria and Russia as evidence.
“He gave the Ukrainians those shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons when, frankly, the previous Democrat administration — when you look at how they responded to Putin’s invasion in 2014 — they did virtually nothing.
“I believe, on the basis of what Donald Trump has done in the past, that he will be robust. I really do,” he added.
Europe’s small and medium-sized defence firms struggle for funding despite record-high demand amid the Ukraine war, government officials, firms and experts say. https://t.co/jtZXZh5m53
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 31, 2024
He was also insistent that no matter who won the presidency, the US would need to step up its support for Ukraine, warning that the country was struggling to fend off its Russian invaders.
“If Putin wins, it will have terrible, terrible repercussions for the world … so it’s got to go right,” Johnson said.
“Just continuing with the current policy … is not enough. Even if Kamala [Harris] wins, with the current trajectory, that is not enough.
“I’m afraid the Russians have been gaining territory in the last couple of days. We all know what’s going on.
“The Ukrainians have done astonishing things. They have taken this huge segment in Kursk. But, unless they get the permissions to use the ATACMS system, the Storm Shadow [cruise missiles], unless they get the proper financial support and unless they get a long-term solution for their security needs, then we are not going to fix it for them,” he added.
Johnson also stated that bringing Ukraine into NATO was now a necessary measure to end the conflict.
“I think it’s the only solution,” he said.
“Why is Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, all the Baltic States, and Finland now — why are they all members of NATO? Because Russia has invaded them in the last hundred years.
“The only long-term solution is to give everyone the clarity that comes with NATO membership,” Johnson concluded.
Boris Johnson is the West’s strongest advocate for Ukraine, yet is backing Trump for the White House: The strategy makes sense, writes Derrick Wyatt. @BlogWyatt https://t.co/IQ9zCkr6uw
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 7, 2024
