Former UK prime minister also predicted that the Republican would keep US defense aid flowing to Ukraine, and may even ramp it up
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. © AFP / Ben Stansall/AFP
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged the “Western liberal intelligentsia” to come to terms with a possible Donald Trump victory in the US presidential election later this year. The Conservative Party politician cited the Republican’s track record in the White House (2017 to ’21) as proof of his readiness to act assertively, and argues that this “could be just what the world needs.”
Following his historically strong showing in the Iowa Republican caucus this week, the GOP frontrunner renewed his promise, if elected again, to put an end to the Ukraine conflict “in 24 hours.” He has also repeatedly called into question the Biden administration’s policies on Ukraine as well as Washington’s commitment to NATO allies in Europe.
In his article for the Daily Mail on Friday, Johnson wrote that the “global wokerati have been trembling so violently” at the thought of a Trump second term. The same sentiment is prevalent among “much of the UK establishment,” he added.
The former prime minister noted, however, that it was Trump who had provided Ukraine with the Javelin anti-tank missiles that played a crucial role in the first weeks of the conflict between Kiev and Moscow.
By contrast, what Johnson calls the “great liberal internationalist Barack Obama” failed to stand up to Russia in 2014 over the issues of Crimea and Donbass, his article charged.
Now 59 and a regular columnist, Johnson also predicted that, having “signally helped to keep [Ukraine] free,” if elected, Trump would not ditch Kiev now. He suggested that the Republican would come to the realization that “there is no deal to be done with Putin” and would supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs to prevail.
The article also mentions Trump’s decision in 2020 to kill top Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, and two years earlier to strike Syrian military facilities, as proof of his “willingness to use force” – a much-needed quality to ensure global stability, according to Johnson.
Addressing his supporters in Iowa’s capital Des Moines this week, Trump vowed to get the Ukraine conflict “solved very fast,” as he knows “President Putin very well, I know Zelensky well.”
“I’m gonna get them in, we’re gonna get it solved very quickly,” the GOP frontrunner promised.
When pressed on the issue on several occasions, Trump has declined to commit to continuing military assistance for Kiev, stressing that what he is after is ending the bloodshed as soon as possible.
Last week, Donald Trump Junior – an important figure in his father’s presidential campaign – argued that, to end the Ukraine conflict, the US simply needs to “cut off the money” as this would “get [Kiev] to the table.”
He speculated that if his father came out on top in the November election, he would give Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky one month’s notice to start negotiating with Russia, or else see US aid withdrawn.
On Friday, CNN, citing unnamed sources, reported that the incumbent administration in Washington wants to quickly approve its latest Ukraine aid package, amid fears that Joe Biden will fail to get reelected in November.
The unnamed staffers told reporters that the general consensus is that Trump would considerably cut support for Kiev if he became president again.
The White House’s $60-billion aid request has been in limbo for weeks as Republicans in Congress demand the tightening of border controls at the US’ southern frontier in exchange for unblocking the funds.
