Politics
Boris Johnson Claims Trump Could ‘Be The Guy’ To Pressure Putin And End Ukraine War
Boris Johnson has claimed Donald Trump could “be the guy” to force Vladimir Putin to end his illegal war in Ukraine.
The ex-prime minister made the bizarre claim more than a year after the US president pledged to bring the conflict to a close in just 24 hours.
The war entered its fifth year back in February.
Trump also famously kicked Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the White House last year after his team attacked his outfit and said Kyiv did not “hold any cards” in the war.
Since then, the US has oscillated between pushing Kyiv to give up more land to Moscow in the name of peace, and supporting Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Putin’s land grab.
But, speaking on Sky News, Johnson – who is an ardent supporter of Ukraine – said: “I think that, paradoxically, you know, Trump could be the guy really, to put the hard word on Putin and get this thing done, and there’s no doubt that when it comes to foreign policy initiatives, this is a guy who’s willing to do some, some pretty tough things, right?
“Nobody thought he’s the first American president to use violence against Iran, right?”
Trump chose to join Israel in launching strikes on Iran earlier this year, triggering a significant international conflict and sending the global economy into turmoil.
Johnson continued: “You know, whatever you think about about his logic and how that’s worked out, you know, he is I think he is the guy and I’ve said this to him and I said this repeat.
“I think, paradoxically, although I think that his instincts on on Ukraine haven’t always was language about Ukraine hasn’t always been, you know, put it mildly on, you know, totally on all fours with what I think I think he could he really could fix it. And that’s what I’ve always told him.”
Johnson also acknowledged that Trump has not actually been promoting a push for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
He said: “It would be a very powerful thing if the United States declared that it was, a strategic objective of the United States for Ukraine to be free, sovereign and independent country.”
“No, but you don’t hear that much from Washington, right? And number two, that Ukraine should be part of Nato.”
Asked by presenter Trevor Phillips how Trump responds when Johnson advocates for Ukraine, he said: “I mean, he’s, very good at listening. He’s very good listening.”
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