Oris Johnson said sanctions against Russia should be intensified “until every one” of Vladimir Putin’s troops leaves Ukraine. The prime minister made the call on Wednesday, warning that allies in the West should not “back down” on sanctions imposed on Putin’s regime to force it to end its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, he called for “intensification” of economic measures against the Kremlin and for more military support to be given to the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Asked by the Prime Minister, he also stressed that sanctions should not be lifted just because Putin agrees to a ceasefire. He spoke in support of the US Alliance, but said that maintaining some independence was not the answer.
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He said Mr Johnson was “the first out the door” to agree to deliver military support to Ukraine, with thousands of missiles, including anti-tank weapons, being sent. Mr Mercer added: “While others may now be tired, now is the time to double our aid to Ukraine. “In fact, we may end up breaking a fairly poor Russian army and bringing peace to this part of the world, while sending people like Vladimir Putin to the dustbin of history where it belongs.” Mr Johnson replied: “It’s right to double military, defense support the way we are. “We will also ensure that there will be no reversal of sanctions by any of our friends and partners around the world. “In fact, we have to increase the financial pressure on Vladimir Putin, and it is certainly unthinkable to lift any sanctions simply because there is a ceasefire. “That would be completely unthinkable in my opinion.” Later Wednesday, Mr Johnson reiterated his call for pressure to be put on Mr Putin as lawmakers sought him out in the Liaison Committee. “In my view, we should continue to intensify sanctions on a rolling basis until each of our troops leaves Ukraine,” he said. Asked if this included Crimea, he added: “As I said, each of these troops is outside Ukraine.” Mr Johnson was then asked if this would include Georgia, parts of which have been occupied since 2008, by fellow Tory MP Tom Tugenthat. He said: “I think we need to reconsider the overall support we offer to countries like Georgia and Ukraine.” Instead of offering them full NATO membership, the West should change its “security architecture” by equipping these countries so heavily that Russia does not invade, he said. Mr Johnson also warned that the Russian president “obviously should not be trusted” and that any ceasefire “would go directly into Putin’s playbook”. A few days ago, Zelensky greeted Britain as “definitely on our side” and expressed frustration in some Western countries, including Germany and France, for not taking a tougher line on Putin. He expressed concern that Germany was trying to take a more balanced approach to Russia because of its deeper economic ties with Moscow, and argued that France was opposed to supplying tanks to Ukraine because it was “afraid of Russia”.
