Boris Johnson has urged the UK government to put troops in “safe areas” of Ukraine and do more to end the war.
Speaking at the opening of the ‘Indomitable Ukraine’ exhibition in London on Tuesday evening, the former Tory prime minister said the UK and its allies should do more than just send “reassurance forces” following a ceasefire.
He said: “We talk about the coalition of the willing. Well, if they’re really willing, I can tell you, I’ve just been to Ukraine, like many of you – why don’t we send [British troops] there now to the many safe parts of Ukraine to make the point that it is Ukrainians who decide which foreign troops come on to their soil?”
The UK, along with France and 31 other countries, have thus far only pledged to send “reassurance forces” to Ukraine following a ceasefire, though Russian media has suggested there are already some British soldiers on the ground.
“They should be there symbolically to make the point that it is Ukrainians who decide which foreign troops come to their soil and not Vladimir Putin,” Mr Johnson said.
He was critical of the UK’s commitment to aiding Ukraine, adding: “We’re still apprehensive about the consequences, and because we still fundamentally lack the will and the leadership and the sense of urgency to get this done.”
He asked why the UK continues to buy uranium from Russia, why Russian energy company Rosneft has not been sanctioned, and why secondary sanctions have not been imposed on companies buying hydrocarbons from Russia.
There were also calls for Russian assets to be “unlocked” to help Ukraine defeat Russia.
“Why is it still the case that the 300 billion dollars (£221 billion) of Putin’s frozen assets in a bank account in Brussels, and none of the diplomats in the world, none of the foreign ministers in the world, seem able to unlock this, get this done?” he said.
When one heckler in the crowd yelled “Why didn’t you do it?”, Mr Johnson responded: “Unfortunately, as I think some of you may know, I was removed from office before I could get it done, tragically.”
Mr Johnson expressed an unwavering commitment to the Ukrainian people. He explained: “When you consider the immensity of their [Ukrainians’] sacrifice, there is absolutely no excuse for our continuing vacillation.
“The Ukrainians, my friends, are going to win. Ukraine will win. This is a war for independence. They are fighting for their land, they are fighting for their statehood.
“It’s a war of independence, and in the end, wars of independence only end one way, but it will end all the faster if we finally discover the collective will and courage that we need to give the Ukrainians what they need.”
The former prime minister called for peacekeeping troops at the end of last year, though he specified that he did not think the UK should send soldiers to fight the war.
He has expressed sadness as recently as this summer about the UK’s apparent “lack of interest” in the Russo-Ukranian war. During his time in Number 10, Mr Johnson prioritised the conflict in the last few months before he was ousted.
In Ukraine, he remains a popular and much-loved figure.
