News of Boris Johnson\u2019s resignation has sparked concern in Kyiv and celebrations in Moscow. However, both reactions are probably wide of the mark. Far from heralding a geopolitical shift in Westminster, the departure of the charismatic but chaotic UK Prime Minister is a strictly domestic affair that will not alter Britain\u2019s staunch support for Ukraine in its fight for survival against Vladimir Putin\u2019s ongoing invasion.<\/p>\n
Russians were quick to toast Johnson\u2019s demise on July 7. \u201cThe moral of the story is: do not seek to destroy Russia. Russia cannot be destroyed. You can break your teeth on it and then choke on them,\u201d commented Kremlin foreign policy spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Russian parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin branded Johnson a \u201cclown\u201d and accused him of being \u201cone of the main ideologues of the war against Russia.\u201d \u201cEuropean leaders should think about where such a policy leads,\u201d warned Volodin. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This Russian reaction was understandable. After all, no single Western leader has been more outspoken than Johnson in their support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia\u2019s invasion. Nevertheless, any jubilation in the Kremlin is misplaced. In reality, the British PM\u2019s resignation was in no way connected to his handling of the Russo-Ukrainian War and does not signal a coming change in the UK position. On the contrary, Boris Johnson\u2019s successor is virtually guaranteed to maintain Britain\u2019s current commitment to opposing Russian aggression and helping Ukraine defend itself.<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s foreign policy focus on support for Ukraine was one of the few genuinely popular positions adopted during the scandal-plagued final months of his premiership. His stance mirrored widespread public support for Ukraine in the UK, where opposition to Putin\u2019s invasion is seen as reflecting both British values and British interests. While Johnson\u2019s critics frequently accused the under-fire PM of exploiting the war in Ukraine to distract from his mounting domestic woes, few actually questioned his decision to take a stand against Putin\u2019s war.<\/p>\n
As the race to replace Johnson as prime minister heats up, the many expected candidates are likely to be unanimous in their agreement that British backing for Ukraine should continue. Indeed, some may even seek to burnish their foreign policy credentials by calling for enhanced support in the form of expanded weapons deliveries to Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia.<\/p>\n
Nor is this hawkish posturing limited to the ruling Conservative Party. The leader of Britain\u2019s opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has often echoed Johnson in recent months with his vocal condemnation of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Many observers see Starmer\u2019s unambiguously pro-Ukrainian position as an attempt by the Labour leader to reclaim the middle ground and distance the party from his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who was often accused of acting as an apologist for the Putin regime.<\/p>\n
Boris Johnson himself was keen to reassure Ukrainians that his departure would not lead to any weakening of their country\u2019s security cooperation with the UK. \u201cLet me say now to the people of Ukraine that I know we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes,\u201d he commented during his resignation speech.<\/p>\n
Speaking soon after Johnson confirmed his decision to step down, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace sought to underline the long-term nature of the UK commitment to Ukraine. \u201cBritain is full square behind them. The assistance to Ukraine we give is not just one person, not me, not the prime minister, it’s the whole effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite these assurances, there was no disguising the sense of disappointment among Ukrainians over the departure from the global stage of one of the country\u2019s most vocal international allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of \u201csadness\u201d in Ukraine following Johnson\u2019s resignation. \u201cWe don\u2019t doubt that Great Britain\u2019s support will continue, but your personal leadership and your charisma made it special,\u201d commented Ukraine\u2019s President.<\/p>\n
This affection for the British politician appears to be entirely genuine. Johnson first won plaudits in Ukraine for leading international efforts to arm the country during the buildup to Vladimir Putin\u2019s February 24 full-scale invasion while other Western leaders hesitated. This support has remained consistent. At present, Britain occupies second place behind the United States in terms of weapons supplies to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Johnson further endeared himself to Ukrainians with a surprise early April visit to Kyiv which featured an instantly iconic walkabout in the heart of the Ukrainian capital alongside President Zelenskyy at a time when Russian troops had only recently been forced to retreat from the outskirts of the city. His outspoken attacks on Vladimir Putin and frequent Churchillian flourishes have also been welcomed in Ukraine, where there is widespread frustration at the excessive caution expressed by many of the country\u2019s international partners. Unsurprisingly, a recent poll ranked Johnson as Ukraine\u2019s most popular foreign politician with a rating just three percentage points behind Zelenskyy himself.<\/p>\n
While few in Britain seem interested in mourning the end of the Boris Johnson era, he will certainly be missed in Ukraine, where he is regarded as a true friend and an important ally. British support for Ukraine will almost certainly continue as before, but Johnson\u2019s successor will find it hard to match his charismatic cheerleading for the country. \u00a0<\/p>\n
About the author: Peter Dickinson<\/strong> is the publisher of Business Ukraine magazine and editor of the Atlantic Council\u2019s UkraineAlert Service. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many in Ukraine have expressed regret over the resignation of Boris Johnson as UK PM but his successor is almost certain to maintain British support for Ukraine as the country fights for survival against Russia\u2019s ongoing invasion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":11068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":" Many in Ukraine have expressed regret over the resignation of Boris Johnson as UK PM but his successor is almost certain to maintain British support for Ukraine as the country fights for survival against Russia\u2019s ongoing invasion<\/p>","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1716],"tags":[3588,3589,3505,3506,2665,2673],"location":[3694],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n