Boris Johnson: UK is not aiming to remove Russia's Putin
March 31, 2022, 10:24 am

Boris Johnson: UK is not aiming to remove Russia's Putin

Boris Johnson: I want to thank every member of our Armed Forces currently serving in Europe, standing side by side with their NATO counterparts at its eastern flank/Official Facebook page

The Channel News Asia reported, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday (Mar 30) that Britain is not aiming for regime change in Russia or to remove President Vladimir Putin. He said that the goal was to help to protect Ukrainians in the war.

US President Joe Biden has said that Putin "cannot remain in power", later saying his words reflected his moral outrage at Russia's invasion of Ukraine and not a US policy shift.

Asked about Biden's comment, Johnson said he understood "the frustrations that people feel about Putin".

Johnson told lawmakers at a committee hearing: "To desire a change of government in itself is not an ignoble thing ... that's the objective of a lot of democratic politics."

"But let's be absolutely clear, it's not the objective of the UK government, and it's very, very important that everybody gets this. We are simply setting out to help to protect the people of Ukraine, and to protect them against absolutely barbaric and unreasonable violence."

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (File photo: Euromaidan Press)

Some G7 leaders have maintained direct dialogue with Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Sholz have held calls with Russia's president since the war started.

Asked whether Macron had been speaking to Putin for too long, Johnson said that the unity of the G7 and NATO should be prioritised. He said the question of "the value of those of those negotiations (with Putin) is an open one."

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Johnson said: "My view is that, that Putin is plainly not to be to be trusted."

Johnson said pressure should be maintained on Putin through sanctions even if a ceasefire was agreed.

Johnson said: "I certainly don't think that you could expect the G7 to lift sanctions simply because there's been a ceasefire in Ukraine. That again goes straight into Putin's playbook."

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"In my view, we should continue to intensify sanctions with a rolling programme until every single one of his troops is out of Ukraine."

Source: cna

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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.