At the time, this was widely regarded as a diversion. But since the Russian invasion a little over a month ago, the Prime Minister has been sincerely devoting almost all his time to the diplomatic impetus to support Ukraine and isolate Vladimir Putin. Mr. Johnson speaks to Volodymyr Zelensky several times a week and considers it one of his key roles to represent the Ukrainian President’s demands to the rest of the world. A source close to the Prime Minister told i: “The most important thing in all this is to hear the voice of Ukraine. It is about providing all the tools they need to win it and regain their dominance. “ But even after a week of successfully projecting his influence on the world stage, Mr. Johnson knows that his own fate could still be determined by the events in Westminster – and especially at New Scotland Yard, a short distance from feet from Downing Street 10. The Metropolitan Police investigation into the lock-in parties has more than doubled in size, with more than 100 government officials now being questioned in writing and some being called in for face-to-face interviews. The Prime Minister and his allies remain confident that he can now escape a leadership challenge, even if he ends up being fined. As a sign that he is leaving his problems behind, Mr. Johnson will host a dinner on Tuesday to which he has invited his 360 deputies. A Toris told i: “Officially this is the first time we have managed to do something after the election because of Covid, but it is certainly also an increase in activity from the whip office and No. 10 to bring people back.” The Conservatives could not regain the lead in the polls, but a YouGov poll conducted after this week’s Spring Statement found that Labor was just two points ahead, suggesting that some voters had rallied against the Tories since the start of the war. in Ukraine. Lord Hayward, a Tory peer and election expert, said that while voters were far less favorable to the prime minister than in previous elections, his ratings of who’s the best leader for the country had fallen. only in small quantities. He told i: “There is something about Boris that is embedded in the price that has less of an impact on their willingness to support him than any other politician I can think of. “And if I were to lead opposition campaigns, it would be a nightmare, because you do not know what it is that attracts voters to it.” A shadow cabinet minister acknowledged that Partygate’s immediate impact had faded: “People are no longer so angry with the parties, they do not necessarily mention it when you talk to them on the doorstep.” However, many voters have lost confidence in Mr Johnson, despite his attempt to reinvent himself as a warlord. If the Prime Minister still has work to do at home, the war in Ukraine helps him show that the UK can have an influence abroad after Brexit, in part thanks to its intelligence leadership. The British and American services warned of an impending invasion weeks before it took place and had repeatedly been able to predict the progress of the war. On the contrary, Emanuel Macron was convinced that Putin could retreat until the hours before the invasion and that German Chancellor Olaf Solz would not even allow his country’s airspace to be used to supply Ukraine, he was so adamant that the war was over. unlikely. And there are other indications that the UK’s priority on the international stage is to heal the wounds of his divorce from the EU, which many in the Foreign Office feared would mark relations between Britain and its allies in the long run. “The UK delegation is working really hard for all forms of EU-NATO cooperation,” said one European official, adding with a note of surprise: “Their diplomacy works.” A British official insisted: “Brexit never shows up in my work – which is wonderful. And so I do not think it has changed the nature of the relationship. ” During the Ukraine crisis, the United Kingdom has focused on building mini-coalitions of like-minded states designed to push the whole alliance into action. The leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a group of northern European countries, recently met in London for the first time, with British diplomats having particularly close contact with countries on the front lines of the conflict with Russia, such as Poland, Estonia, Sweden and Finland. . Then there is Mr. Johnson’s contact with the Ukrainian president. Mr Zelensky usually opens their phone calls with a list of weapons he needs, according to reports. Therefore, the top priority is to maintain the flow of weapons from the West to Ukraine – but to ensure that not all countries send the same equipment. At this week’s NATO summit, an official said, “there has been a lot of discussion to make sure we do not all provide the same weapons.” The United Kingdom has already sent 4,000 missiles to Ukraine – mainly anti-tank weapons – and has committed another 6,000. This contribution exceeds that of the United States, which has provided helicopters and Humvees as well as missiles, but compares favorably with most European allies. Germany has committed to 1,500 anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, and Spain is sending about 1,400 grenade launchers. France also provides military assistance, but refuses to say how much because it does not want to provoke Russia. Britain will push other countries to do more in the coming weeks, I understand. “Zelensky is very interested in armor,” said a senior government source – he wants NATO countries to send tanks and jets, and Mr Johnson is pressuring allies to agree. “We are focusing on missiles and artillery, but we are encouraging others,” the source added. Another expert said it would be difficult for the UK to send its own tanks because Ukrainian troops would need new training to use them.
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The United Kingdom is also seeking to forge a unified response to sanctions – even as the country lags behind the EU in targeting Mr Putin’s allies. British ministers say they have now imposed sanctions on more than 1,000 individuals or entities, but many of them came days or even weeks after Brussels imposed comparable measures, in part because post-Brexit sanctions rules include much more legal bureaucracy than the regime of the EU now held by Britain on the left. However, after the division of Brexit, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mr. Putin has managed to unite the West. Diplomatic speech shops have become active and have once again become a forum for decision-making – a diplomat based at NATO headquarters told i: “Many allies are working together and, perhaps paradoxically, things are going well.” The regular meeting of NATO leaders often looks like allies looking at lists of their individual achievements, according to a source who regularly monitors them: “They explain how they improve their defense or what they spend or how they contribute to battle teams, and they talk a lot. to create their laurels “. But at Thursday’s summit in Brussels, the source said: “No one was in the laurel… Everyone recognized that no matter what we did in the past, people need to do more.”
