Russia and Ukraine were all set to sign a peace accord to bring the disastrous war to an end. But then came Boris Johnson and said – Blimey! That’s Rubbish.
WikiPedia’s page for “Battle of Kyiv (2022)” reads: In April, Initially, Russian forces captured key areas to the north and west of Kyiv, leading to international prediction of the city’s imminent fall. However, stiff Ukrainian resistance sapped Russian momentum. Poor Russian logistics and tactical decisions helped the defenders to thwart efforts at encirclement, and, after a month of protracted fighting, Ukrainian forces began counterattacking.
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Following the successful Ukrainian counterattacks in late March, Russia began withdrawing its forces from the Kyiv area on 29 March. Four days later, the Ukrainian authorities declared that Kyiv and the surrounding Kyiv Oblast were again under Ukrainian control.
Even the biggest Russian supporter on the planet cannot deny the fact that Russia did encircle Kyiv in early days of April 2022 only to abandon it a month later. But are the reasons, like “stiff Ukrainian resistance” and “Poor Russian logistics and tactical decisions” correct? No, it is totally incorrect. Turns out, the reason behind it was a possible peace negotiation.
After the encirclement of Kyiv, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators had agreed on a peace deal wherein Russia would revert to its pre-invasion positions, controlling part of the Donbas and all of Crimea, while Ukraine would refrain from seeking NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees from various countries.
Zelensky was apparently frustrated over NATO’s cold response to the war and the chosen path of just economic sanctions and no real action in the battlefield. But then he received a phone call. It was Boris Johnson, who informed Zelensky about his visit to Kyiv shortly.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson played a pivotal role in disrupting the negotiations during his April visit to Kyiv, advising Ukrainian President Zelensky against talks with Russia for reasons including Putin’s unreliability and the West’s unreadiness for the war to end.
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The UK went on to provide substantial military support to Ukraine till Boris was in office, amounting to USD 2.8 billion, making it Ukraine’s second-largest military partner. This included anti-tank weapons.
Johnson made statements supporting Ukraine’s victory and his refusal to advocate for compromise or concessions. Johnson’s made frequent visits to Kyiv, one of them included a memorable walkabout with President Zelenskyy, that led to a Boris Mania in Ukraine.
Boris became so popular in Ukraine due to his so called “Love for Ukraine” that the Mayor of Odesa made Boris Johnson an honorary citizen, including plans to name streets after him.
High-ranking Ukrainian officials and even the general public showed strong support for Johnson, with social media filled with congratulatory messages after he survived his first no-confidence vote.
Ukrainian businesses joined in too, like a Kyiv Cafe that came up with a Boris Johnson-themed croissant.
A poll showed Johnson with a 90% approval rating among Ukrainians, the highest for a foreign politician in Ukraine, and significantly higher than other Western leaders. Compare that with Boris’ approval rating in the UK, a mere 29%
The war, that could have been over in 2 months, has dragged on for over 2 years now with no end in sight. French President Emmanuel Macron played second fiddle to Boris as he too, emphasized the need for Europe to prepare for a prolonged war to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position.
Since the collapse of the tentative deal, both Ukraine and Russia have publicly taken harder stances, complicating the prospects of returning to negotiations.
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The reason behind Johnson’s support for war was not very different from Biden’s. While Biden was under tremendous attack due to the disastrous conclusion of the US’ 20-year-long-war in Afghanistan and a series of disastrous domestic policies like immigration, Boris Johnson was not too far behind. Johnson was one of the chief architects of the BREXIT movement and he had promised quick economic recovery to the British people. But under his watch, British economy fell like a house of cards. His ouster was imminent, and he needed a major win. He chose Ukraine to drum up his popularity.
On 6th September 2022, Boris Johnson was made to resign. Now Rishi Sunak is the British and is skeptical about supporting Ukraine. But Ukraine is still warring, losing lives and money on an unprecedented scale.