Boris Johnson cancels visit to Japan scheduled for mid-February
January 31, 2022, 7:39 am

Boris Johnson cancels visit to Japan scheduled for mid-February

Boris Johnson-UK Prime Minister/Official Facebook page

The Nikkei Asia news website has learned that the governments of Japan and the U.K. have decided to cancel British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's visit to Japan that was scheduled for mid-February, as it has become increasingly difficult for Johnson to make the trip as tensions between Russia and the West intensify over Ukraine.

It said that the two governments had planned for Johnson and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, to meet in person to discuss security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

It would have been the first in-person meeting between the two prime ministers since they met in the U.K. at the COP26 climate summit in November last year.

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The Nikkei Asia added that Johnson is under pressure to resign for having attended parties last year in violation of the country's COVID-19 restrictions. Some observers say the growing calls for Johnson to step down also contributed to the decision to call of the Japan visit.

Source: nikkeiasia

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.