“Being a leader means calling Russia bad and taking responsibility at the most critical moments. Being a leader means being the first to come to Kyiv despite rocket launches,” he tweeted, referring to Mr. .Johnson in April. , shortly after the retreat of the Russian forces from the outskirts of the city. “Thank you @BorisJohnson for understanding the threat of the Russian monster and always being at the forefront of supporting Ukraine.” Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine’s former foreign minister, said the news would be greeted with dismay in Kyiv not because Ukrainians doubted British commitment but because they saw Mr Johnson’s personal style as an asset in rallying the West. “Of course there will be disappointment. It’s not about supporting the UK. People understand it will stay. But the sense of personal commitment that Boris brings and his personal sympathy for Ukraine will go,” he told the Telegraph. “The second point, which is politically important for us, is this: Of course, UK support would be there and I don’t expect that support to diminish. “But Boris, because of his emotion, because of his vision of the situation, was and is ahead of others. He led the West on so many occasions, politically but also emotionally. If a new UK leader will lead the West emotionally for Ukraine, or whether he will play more into a kind of cooperation with the US, is an open question. This type of person with an emotional commitment means a lot.”
Sincere supporter of Ukraine
Johnson has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine among foreign leaders, visiting President Volodomyr Zelensky in Kyiv twice since the start of the war. His government was among the first to send lethal aid to Ukraine in the days before the war. The NLAW anti-tank missiles it supplied have been widely credited with helping defeat Russia’s offensive on Kyiv in February and March. Johnson claimed to have led the Western response to Russia’s invasion in his resignation speech, adding: “Let me say now to the people in Ukraine that I know that we in the UK will continue to support your fight for freedom as long as it takes. .” The government’s policy on Ukraine is supported by all parties in the House of Commons and is unlikely to change under the new prime minister. But it has won Mr Johnson widespread popularity in Ukraine, where soldiers at checkpoints often greet a British passport with words of praise for the prime minister. But his support for Ukraine has been described as opportunistic, with critics pointing to a correlation between challenges to his leadership and phone calls to Mr Zelensky. He was reported to have scheduled another call to Mr Zelensky soon after his aides told reporters he would resign on Monday morning. Questions have also been raised about his attitude towards Russia before the current war. On Wednesday he admitted before a House of Commons committee that he had met former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev without officials present. The meeting took place in Italy in 2018, when he was foreign minister.
