Boris Johnson: Damage caused by West's failure to support Ukraine could reach Taiwan
February 19, 2022, 4:42 pm

Boris Johnson: Damage caused by West's failure to support Ukraine could reach Taiwan

Boris Johnson: The United Kingdom’s commitment to the security of Europe — with NATO as the indispensable guarantor — is unwavering (File photo: Boris Johnson official Facebook page)

The Alarabiya English reported, citing Reuters, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that if Western nations failed to fulfil their promises to support Ukraine’s independence, it would have damaging consequences worldwide, including for Taiwan.

Russian troops are massed near Ukraine’s borders and President Vladimir Putin has launched exercises by strategic nuclear missile forces, but Russia rejects Western concerns that it is poised to invade.

Johnson told a security conference in Munich: “We do not fully know what President Putin intends, but the omens are grim."

If Ukraine is endangered, the shock will echo around the world. And those echoes will be heard in east Asia, will be heard in Taiwan,” he added. “People would draw the conclusion that aggression pays, and that might is right.”

China views Taiwan as part of its territory, and has not ruled out the use of force to regain control of the island, which has governed itself since 1949.

Allies must speak with one voice on Ukraine
The message I am taking to Munich Security Conference today is that allies must speak with one voice to stress to President Putin the high price he will pay for any further Russian invasion of Ukraine. We need western solidarity to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Diplomacy can still prevail.
Posted by Boris Johnson on Saturday, February 19, 2022

Johnson said Western nations had repeatedly told Ukraine that they would support its independence.

He said: “How hollow, how meaningless, how insulting those words would seem, if at the very moment when their sovereignty and independence is imperiled, we simply look away."

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On Tuesday, Britain said it could block Russian companies from raising capital in London and has passed legislation to widen sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals if the country invades Ukraine.

Johnson said: “We will sanction Russian individuals and companies of strategic importance to the Russian state and we will make it impossible for them to raise finance on the London capital markets.”

He added that Europe must also wean itself off Russian oil and gas supplies to stop being at the risk of being blackmailed.

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According to the report, Johnson predicted Russia would pay a heavy military price if it invaded Ukraine.

He said: “I fear that a lightning war would be followed by a long and hideous period of reprisals and revenge and insurgency. And Russian parents would mourn the loss of young Russian soldiers."

Source: alarabiya

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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.