His resignation means he will no longer appear at other very important summits and high-profile meetings. Instead, world leaders will have to deal with a new prime minister. And probably few countries or leaders will miss him, except one.
Ukraine
If there’s one place mourning the fall of Boris Johnson, it’s Ukraine. There is the most famous foreign leader, bar president Vladimir Putin. In virtually every interview, from civilians fleeing front-line cities to defense officials, Boris is praised as Ukraine’s closest ally. Ukrainians even took to social media to congratulate him on surviving a no-confidence vote in June. Boris Johnson visited Kyiv last month (Press Office of the President of Ukraine/PA) There has been real confusion among those interviewed by the Independent in recent days as to why Britain would want to get rid of “such a great man”. And so for Kyiv, the internal turmoil that eventually forced Mr. Johnson to resign may come as a major blow. Much of this adoration is due to the fact that Mr Johnson is one of the only foreign leaders to have made two surprise visits to President Zelensky in Kyiv, the latter in June. The Ukrainian leader said Thursday’s news was met with “regret” in Kyiv. Just last week, the UK announced a further £1bn in military aid to Ukraine. This takes the UK’s total military and economic support to an impressive £3.8 billion, making the UK second only to the US. The UK was also among the first nations to supply weapons to Ukraine early on, including Nlaw anti-tank weapons, M270 multiple launch missile systems and short-range Brimstone missiles. Because of this and the perceived role Mr Johnson played in rallying Europe around Ukraine, he has become a celebrity in the country. He was named an honorary citizen of the strategic port of Odessa. Several Ukrainian cities have reportedly already announced plans to rename streets after him. In fact, a June poll by Conservative Lord Ashcroft showed that in Ukraine Boris Johnson was almost as popular as President Zelensky, ahead of US President Joe Biden and miles ahead of the French and German leaders. MPs and officials say he has set the “highest benchmark” internationally in support of Ukraine and led the fledgling international coalition against Putin. They hope that whoever comes next will meet these standards and even exceed them. But with Mr Johnson accused of neglecting the UK’s most pressing domestic woes and the government collapsing so spectacularly, whoever succeeds him will have to focus on consolidating the leadership again and on day-to-day household concerns. This can overshadow Ukraine, Russia and a war 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) away. Bel Trew in Dnipro, Ukraine
France
A “48-hour circus” a French newspaper describes the build-up to Boris Johnson’s resignation on Thursday. It was a fitting finale for a prime minister once called an “un-clown” by French President Emmanuel Macron. More than 50 resignations in two days saw increasingly skeptical media commentators in France question how much longer Johnson could continue to oversee “le chaos total”. Some have even compared his stubbornness to step down to that of Donald Trump – another populist Macron had to contend with during his time on the Elysee. Boris Johnson talks to Annick Penders (centre), wife of Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croix, and Brigitte Macron, wife of the French president in Madrid (AP) With Mr Johnson in charge of spearheading and executing Brexit, his relationship with his Europhile counterpart was always going to be fraught. Accused of “making a mockery” of UK-France relations over his handling of the migration crisis, Mr Johnson also oversaw a row over fishing rights and ran the prospect of breaching international law by triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol . All of which meant the UK leader was accused of cultivating arguably the worst cross-channel relations since the Napoleonic era. However, recent G7 and NATO summits had brought hopes of improvement, united by their stance on the war in Ukraine, as well as shared security and economic interests. Mr Johnson and Mr Macron once enjoyed a late-night whiskey together and were planning the first bilateral summit between the two countries since 2018. But while “Le Bromance”, as the prime minister’s aides reportedly called it , may be over, his departure will bring fresh hope for a new entente cordiale. Anthony Cuthbertson in Paris, France
USA
Boris Johnson’s death after just a few years as UK prime minister will have little impact on relations between America and the constitutional monarchy with which it severed ties nearly 250 years ago. On foreign policy, fears that Mr Johnson’s rise could spell trouble for the transatlantic alliance were largely allayed by former President Donald Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden, with whom the outgoing prime minister worked to bring the US, the UK and its NATO allies are closer than they have been in decades in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Prime Minister meets then US President Donald Trump for bilateral talks during the G7 summit in Biarritz, France in 2019 (PA) Although Mr Johnson has tried in many ways to connect to the Ukraine conflict with several high-profile trips to Kyiv, it has been Biden who has done the lion’s share of keeping NATO leaders together, culminating in last week’s announcement that Sweden and Finland will receive unanimous consent to join the alliance after Turkey withdrew previous objections. Biden and his aides have largely kept mum as the prime minister’s political fortunes have dipped in recent days. In response to questions about whether the US had any concerns about the unrest, the responses characterized Mr Johnson’s problems as a domestic political issue. But the White House maintains that the impending change in leadership will have no effect on the strength of the “special relationship.” Speaking on Air Force One en route to Cleveland on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters that the US partnership with the UK continues to be strong. Andrew Feinberg in Washington, DC, USA
India
MrJohnson dons a traditional turban on arrival at Gujarat University of Biotechnology in April (POOL/AFP via Getty) The saga of resignations before Mr Johnson’s decision to step down attracted rolling coverage on Indian news channels and online platforms, where analysis focused on the impact of potential changes at No 10 on relations between the two countries. Indian newspaper editorials were scathing about Mr Johnson’s handling of the Partygate and other ethics scandals, while almost all the leading media outlets offered explanations to their readers about Britain’s complex parliamentary procedures. There was visible excitement around the prospect of former chancellor Rishi Sunak – whose wife and parents are Indian – as a possible successor to Mr Johnson, with nationalist news website OpIndia gleefully describing him as “favourite to become the next prime minister”. It was also noted that the cascade of resignations began with Indian-born Mr Sunak and Sajid Javid, who has Pakistani parents. India’s leading Indian news channel Aaj Tak compared Mr Johnson’s situation to that seen in the state of Maharashtra in recent days, where a state government was toppled after a revolt by members of its assembly. Mr Johnson’s departure has divided social media in India largely on ideological grounds, seen as bad news by supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who often claims warm ties to Mr Johnson. The news was welcomed by Modi’s critics, however, who are re-sharing images from Johnson’s April visit to India riding a bulldozer. The images were condemned as tone-deaf at a time when bulldozers have become a symbol of oppression against Muslims in India. For many here, particularly on the liberal left, that will be Mr Johnson’s only lasting legacy. Stuti Mishra in Delhi, India
Middle East
As far as the Middle East is concerned, Boris Johnson’s tenure will be largely forgotten. He saw the area as a receptacle for British weapons and a refueling station. In the wake of his resignation, his enemies in the Middle East cheered, but not very subtly, and those who were considered friends shrugged. As prime minister, Mr Johnson reliably promised Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He drew the ire of Palestinians for taking positions that were seen as too pro-Israel. And he spoke out against Iran and its allies. He was criticized for failing to do enough to win the release of UK hostages, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who returned home under his watch after his own damaging comments as foreign secretary were used against her. Mr Johnson welcomed Mohammed bin Salman last month in Riyadh (PA) In all fairness, he has shown consistent apathy when it comes to human rights issues elsewhere in the Middle East, including Egypt and the Gulf states. The UK was conspicuously absent when Western embassies gathered to call on Ankara to release dissident Osman Kavala. In a potentially creative piece of foreign policy, Johnson appeared to be seeking to use Turkey as a post-Brexit economic counterweight to the European Union. But this attempt failed. Above all, Johnson immersed the United Kingdom’s policies in the Middle East within those of the United States. Although he visited Turkey, Israel and elsewhere during his tenure as foreign minister, since taking over as prime minister nearly three years ago, he has made stopovers in just two Middle Eastern countries – Saudi Arabia and… .
