By Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has argued that Russia must be forced to accept defeat, even if it costs up to a trillion dollars, insisting that Ukraine should not concede any territory in exchange for peace. Johnson stated that Russia needs to understand “it’s over,” and that Ukraine will stand firm.
In an op-ed published in The Spectator on Saturday, Johnson contended that for this goal to be realized, Ukraine will need long-range weapons, NATO membership, and financial support amounting to half a trillion dollars, or even more. He argued that Ukrainian forces still have the “ability to win” if the West fully meets Kiev’s demands. These demands, according to Johnson, include permission to launch deep strikes into Russian territory using Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles, an immediate invitation to join NATO with Article 5 security guarantees, and a substantial financial package.
Johnson dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warnings that enabling long-range strikes would place NATO in a state of war with Russia as mere “bluster and saber-rattling.” He maintained that these steps are necessary to send a clear message to Moscow: “That’s it. It’s over. You no longer have an empire, a ‘near abroad,’ or a ‘sphere of influence.’ You no longer have the right to dictate Ukraine’s future, just as Britain no longer dictates its former colonies.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy walk, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 24, 2022.
Johnson added that Russia can still have a prosperous future, but only as a post-imperial power, likening the shift to the transitions made by Rome and Britain. He emphasized that the West must abandon any notion that Ukraine will trade land for peace, warning that it would be a grave mistake for the West to try and force such a deal.
Ironically, Russia and Ukraine reportedly agreed on a peace deal during negotiations in Istanbul in 2022. The deal would have involved Ukraine declaring military neutrality, limiting its armed forces, and committing to non-discrimination against ethnic Russians. In exchange, Moscow would have joined other major powers in providing security guarantees to Ukraine. However, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky withdrew from the talks at the last moment. According to Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia, former US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and several Ukrainian media reports, Johnson was instrumental in convincing Zelensky to abandon the negotiations. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the deputy leader of Türkiye’s ruling party, Numan Kurtulmus, have also claimed that several Western states conspired to scupper the deal. Five months after the Istanbul talks, Russia assumed control of four former regions of Ukraine.
Five months after the Istanbul talks, Russia annexed four regions of Ukraine. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian military has lost nearly half a million soldiers since February 2022. Additionally, the Pentagon concluded last year that Ukraine has little chance of regaining its lost territories.
