Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson thinks it is hard to imagine that Donald Trump would begin his presidency by abandoning Ukraine, Johnson said in an interview with CNN on Nov. 4.
"I cannot believe that a guy who is so passionate about his country… would want to kick off his presidency by basically allowing the Soviet Empire to be great again," Boris Johnson said in reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" motto.
Russia has been making gains on the battlefield at a pace unseen in 2024. The lack of manpower and materiel exhausted Kyiv’s troops, who are holding back one of Russia's "most powerful" offensives since the start of Moscow's full-scale war.
Despite Johnson's statement, there are concerns that if Trump returns to the White House after the election on Nov. 5, the U.S. could withdraw its crucial support or push Ukraine toward painful concessions.
Speaking to CNN, Johnson pointed out that it was during Trump's presidency when Ukraine received Javelin anti-tank weapons as the country fought Russian proxy forces in the Donbas region.
Trump, the U.S. president between 2017 and 2021, greenlighted the supply of Javelin launchers to Ukraine, a policy shift from his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama.
He is then suspected of using the military aid to pressure Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation against Hunter Biden, the son of his political rival Joe Biden, which led to an impeachment proceeding against Trump.
Johnson, who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022, boasted close ties with then-U.S. President Trump. He also said that whoever wins the U.S. election on Nov. 5 will have to ramp up support for Ukraine.
"Just by going forward with the current policy that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (followed) is not enough," the former British prime minister said.
The Biden administration has committed $64 billion in military aid to Ukraine since 2022, making Washington the leading defense donor to Kyiv. However, critics have called out the president's supposedly cumbersome and piecemeal strategy in supporting Ukraine.
"Even if Kamala wins… with the current trajectory, that is not enough," Johnson added.
Recent polls show that Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who has pledged to continue supporting Ukraine if elected, are going into the home stretch neck-and-neck.
Extending NATO membership to Ukraine is the only solution, and it has to be done, as it is the only long-term solution that provides peace and stability, the former U.K. prime minister added.
Francis Farrell
