UK Should Send Non-Combat Troops to Ukraine ‘Now’ – Boris Johnson

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for UK and allied troops to be deployed to Ukraine in non-combat roles “now.”

Interviewed by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg alongside Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Johnson also remarked that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been prevented if Western allies had paid closer attention to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s increasing aggression, and the precedent set by the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

“If we can have boots on the ground after the war, after Putin has condescended to have a ceasefire, then why not do it now?” Johnson said.

“If we are willing to do it in the context of a ceasefire, which of course puts all the initiative, all the power in Putin’s hands, why not do it now?” he emphasized, warning that if Ukraine were to become a “vassal state of Russia,” it would become Putin’s decision who comes to the country, but that – right not – “it’s up to the Ukrainians.”

The former UK prime minister’s comments come in the wake of UK Defence Secretary John Healey saying he would send British troops to Ukraine once the warring countries had reached a peace deal.

Johnson and Radakin agreed that the West had been too slow and cautious in providing support to Ukraine, including supplies of vital weapons, with Radakin describing the approach taken as “incrementalism” and acknowledging frustration on the part of Kyiv.

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Johnson referred to “needless” delays in providing Ukraine with what it needed, pointing out that when Kyiv received what it asked for, it was ultimately to the country’s advantage, putting pressure on Putin.

Responding to the latest comments, a UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We are proud of UK leadership on Ukraine – supporting the fight today and working to secure the peace tomorrow.”

The spokesperson added: “It’s why this government is providing the highest ever level of military support, including a recent half-billion-pound air defence package just last week, accelerating £200 million for the UK military to prepare for any Ukraine deployment, and working with over 30 nations through the UK-led Coalition of the Willing.”

“Tragic”

On whether the full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been prevented, Johnson made clear his view that the West did not take Putin’s machinery of aggression seriously enough and that “the failure to do anything in Crimea was tragic.”

“If we’d had clarity and simplicity about Ukraine, rather than endless fudge and obscurity, we could have saved that, we could have prevented that invasion,” Johnson remarked.

He also cited the West’s “failure in Syria to punish Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons” as a key factor emboldening Putin.

“If we’d had clarity and simplicity about Ukraine, rather than endless fudge and obscurity, we could have saved that, we could have prevented that invasion,” Johnson remarked.

Radakin called on the UK government to “resolve” its promise to spend 3.5% of national income on defense by 2035, noting that while Russia is “weak,” it remains “dangerous.”