London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Former PM Boris Johnson urges British troops to help defend Ukraine’s borders in a potential peace agreement. Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the UK’s moral duty is to support Ukraine’s security.Â
During an interview with The Telegraph, Boris Johnson urged the deployment of British troops to defend Ukraine’s border as part of a potential ceasefire with Russia.
The former prime minister has suggested that a multinational group of European peacekeepers should be tasked with securing Ukraine’s future ceasefire line.
The upcoming inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20 is expected to seep up negotiations on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Mr Trump asserted during election campaigns he could resolve the war in a day but offered no details on how he would achieve it.
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, praised Donald Trump as an “intelligent” leader on Thursday, stating he would find a solution to the war in Ukraine and expressed his willingness for dialogue with the US.
Mr Johnson stated in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast that British troops must be sent to Ukraine to uphold a ceasefire.
He said, “I don’t think we should be sending in combat troops to take on the Russians. “But I think as part of the solution, as part of the end state, you’re going to want to have multinational European peace-keeping forces monitoring the border [and] helping the Ukrainians.”
As reported by The Kyiv Independent, Johnson, a supporter of Trump, said that “such a European operation couldn’t happen without the British.”
He added, “We need to be spelling out what kind of security guarantees we think are appropriate.”
Western countries need to clarify the security guarantees for Ukraine in any peace agreement to stop Russia from rearming and attacking again, John said.
According to Mr Johnson, Britain holds “moral responsibility” for Ukraine, having signed the 1994 Budapest Memorandum alongside nuclear powers Russia and the US.
The former PM said Ukraine could join NATO, where Article 5 ensures that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, binding all members to defend one another.
He said, “The only thing that really works is a Nato Article 5 guarantee that has kept the peace in Europe for 80 years. It’s the reason the Baltic states are in NATO. It’s the reason that the Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Finns and the Swedes are now in Nato.”
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has stated that Ukraine is on an “irreversible pathway” to NATO membership once the war with Russia ends, but many NATO countries are hesitant about granting immediate membership.
Vladimir Putin reiterated on Thursday that Russia would end the war if Kyiv gave up its NATO goals and handed over four provinces claimed by Moscow, while Kyiv has rejected this offer.
Mr Putin also warned to strike Kyiv’s “decision-making centres” with his new Orenshnki missile in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russia and stated that Russia would use all its weapons if Ukraine pursued nuclear arms.
As the war between Ukraine and Russia exceeds 1,000 days, Johnson’s stance on peace talks aligns with Ukrainian official’s views.
Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, said in May that Ukraine “clearly understands” the conflict will end with negotiations.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky has recently said Ukraine must push for a diplomatic resolution to end the war by 2025, adding that the conflict could “end faster” under a Trump administration.