Boris Johnson tells West to give Ukraine 'what they need'
Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson joins 'Special Report' to analyze state of Ukraine war.
Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Fox News on Tuesday the West, including the United States and U.K., must continue to supply Ukraine with what they need to rebuff Russia.
Johnson, who resigned from 10 Downing Street in July, just returned from a trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, anchor Bret Baier reported on "Special Report."
After viewing the devastation from the Russian invasion, Johnson told Baier that now is not the time to contemplate delaying further assistant to the Ukrainians, as domestic political factions debate how much more Western taxpayers should spend to give defensive arms to the war-torn country.
"This is the moment to double down on our support, Give them what they need, whether it's the tanks or the long range artillery. They need to kick Putin out of the whole of the territory," Johnson said, adding that the Americans have done an "incredible" job in support of Kyiv.
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Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks outside Downing Street (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
"The faster Putin gets out of Ukraine and the quicker we return to stability and the more powerful the message we send to people like China that the West – America, the U.K. – will not tolerate aggressive attempts to change borders by force."
Johnson said he met with several top lawmakers in Washington this week, including Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif – while also saying he wanted to "pay tribute to the Biden administration" for its support as well.
"What they did, what Joe did… what all his people did in very difficult circumstances was they stepped up to the plate and they gave Ukraine what it needed. What I think we all need to do now is go further and save time, save money, save lives, and give the Ukrainians what they need."
The former prime minister added the West previously failed to punish Putin in 2014 – the year the Kremlin annexed Ukraine's Crimea region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the country's transport industry via a video link in Sochi, Russia May 24, 2022. (Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via REUTERS)
"We put on some sanctions, but they weren't really very tough. But we basically allowed him to invade Ukraine…"
Johnson largely dismissed fears of escalating the war into a global nuclear conflict, doubling down on his assertion Ukraine must be supported strategically.
"[A]ll I'm saying is save time, save money, save lives, give the Ukrainians what they need as fast as possible. Get this thing done. Forget about Putin, go for economic stability, long term peace and prosperity. And for the people."
He said Vladimir Putin wants the West to think nuclear war is imminent, contending that if the ex-KGB officer goes that route, he will lose support from current allies or friends like the Chinese, Indians and sub-Saharan African nations.
"He probably doesn't even stop the Ukrainians if he did that – and we would put his economy into such a cryogenic paralysis that Russia wouldn't come out of it for decades. So he's not going to do that," Johnson claimed.